Confessions of a Mystery Shopper
Latest dining trend involves service with a smile
When dining out, people tend to use all of their senses — not just taste. When mystery shopping at a restaurant, I could be using my ears and eyes, as well as my nose and taste buds, in doing research for my report.
My latest mystery shop operation had me dining under cover at several family-friendly restaurants for dinner or lunch to report on the atmosphere and latest trend in greeting customers.
Taking a cue from large retail “box stores” that hawk everything from tires to toys, dine-in or take-out eateries are now making time to greet their customers as they enter.
I chose an unwitting companion for the first dinner. I hadn’t told him the meal was part of my job — partly because it was one of our first dates and partly because he was somewhat shy and I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
The theme song from the TV show Cheers popped into my head while walking up to the door of the mid-range, sit-down, no-clown-in-sight type of restaurant. Now, as a mystery shopper, I need to keep a high level of anonymity and blend in with the rest of the diners. I don’t really want to go where everybody knows my name. However, I do want to go where they’re always glad I came.
Having never been to this particular watering hole, I had no idea what to expect. My instructions were to observe and report what I experienced while there. Before my friend and I had reached the double outer doors, two young women popped out from behind them and said one after the other, “Hi, Welcome to [name of restaurant]!”
I thought this was great! As a shy person, my companion seemed a bit startled and looked as if he wanted to run back to the truck.
The more outgoing of the two girls instructed us to head straight and then make a left at the moose to put our name on the list at the podium. We did as instructed, and along the way, nearly a dozen young women jumped up and cheered in unison, “Hey! Welcome! Glad you could make it!”
After putting our name down on a rather long list, we walked back outside to enjoy the unusually warm weather. I made a joke about the pep squad meeting at the podium and a mental note about the overly enthusiastic crowd at the hostess station. If my nephews had been with me, I’m sure they would have wondered why the girls got to use their “outside voices” inside without getting in trouble. All in all, it was a pleasant, albeit a bit theatrical, greeting and atmosphere for a mid-priced American restaurant.
My daughter accompanied me on the second leg of this three-stop mystery shop assignment because it was one of her favorite fast food joints. There was no greeter at the door, but the person behind the counter welcomed us. That counted for something, but his enthusiasm was far less than that of the cheering squad the night before, and he couldn’t even give us a smile.
Some clients want to know just the facts: What did the restaurant look like? Was it clean? Did it have the proper signage and promotional materials out? Other clients want to know how I felt about my shopping experience: Did the greeter make you feel welcome? Was the staff warm and friendly? Your meal could be fit for a king, the best in Columbia, but who would want it served by Oscar the Grouch out of a trashcan?
My last stop on the greeting assignment was a franchise specializing in mid-priced south-of-the-border cuisine. I attended this one alone.
I entered the festively decorated eatery and waited for someone to acknowledge me. A few people already were seated and eating. This restaurant is set up cafeteria style; you order at one end of a counter and watch as the person behind the counter adds to your meal as you walk alongside it.
After a minute, a young man came out of the back and offered to help me. As I was ordering my meal, several other employees came from the back room and began greeting the customers pilling in behind me, one after another. They reminded me of the three stooges, though there were five of them.
All in all, the assignment went well. It’s nice to be welcomed and appreciated for where you decide to spend your hard-earned cash. And it’s always nice to see a smile.