You realize as a restaurant owner or manager that excellent customer service is vital to your business. But just how do you know if your employees are providing their best each and every time? That is where a mystery customer, or mystery shopper, can be helpful.

Mystery shopping is an excellent method to gauge and improve your restaurant’s atmosphere, food, service, and overall guest experience. But what, specifically, does your mystery shopper do when he or she visits your restaurant? Let us take a closer look.

What is a Mystery Customer?

A mystery diner is a professional who is trained to be a paying guest for hire to eat at your restaurant. Why? To evaluate some aspects of the customer experience from an objective standpoint. They see everything from being greeted at the entrance to food, service, and ambiance.

Unlike your typical customers, mystery customers make a point to put what they’re looking for in their visit first. Mystery customers are trained to look at various areas of the customer experience and give useful feedback.

What Does a Mystery Customer Evaluate in My Restaurant?

1. First Impressions: The Welcome

The instant your mystery shopper walks through your door, they will be deciding on their first impression. This is what will determine the course of the rest of the dining experience.

Greeting: Was the host/hostess friendly and attentive? Did the host/hostess greet the mystery shopper in a prompt manner?

Seating: Was the seating comfortable and correct? Did the patron feel indulged when sitting down?

Mystery shoppers observe the first impression of warmth, friendliness, and overall atmosphere your employees greet upon a guest’s arrival.

2. Quality of Service

Quality of service plays a heavy role in determining whether or not a guest returns to your establishment. A mystery guest measures the service from start to finish:

Wait Time: How long was it after they sat down before a server stopped by the table?

Knowledge of Menu: Did the server know the items on the menu, ingredients, preparation, and specials?

Courtesy: Was the server considerate, attentive, and professional? Were they enthusiastic about ensuring that the customer had an enjoyable visit?

A trained mystery shopper will also note the manner in which servers handle issues such as filling drinks or handling special requests, such as dietary restrictions.

3. Food and Beverage Quality

The flavor and quality of your food and drinks is of course at the core of the meal. Your mystery diner will review a variety of key factors:

Presentation: Was the food presented well and appealing? Was the presentation pleasing to the eye?

Taste: Was the food freshly flavored and rich? Was the food well seasoned and cooked as it was meant to be?

Portion Size: Was the serving size worth the price?

Beverage Quality: Were the drinks served at the correct temperature and in proper presentation? Was the wine suggestion or cocktail choice perfect?

When the mystery shoppers mention these, you’ll know for sure if food meets your restaurant’s standards.

4. Atmosphere and Cleanliness

Having a clean and inviting atmosphere is most important to keep customers coming back. Mystery customers will comment on some environmental details:

Cleanliness: Was the restaurant clean, tables, floors, bathrooms, and public areas? Were the plates and utensils clean?

Ambiance: Was the lighting relaxing? Was the restaurant temperature comfortable? Was the music appropriate for the ambiance?

Noise Level: Was the noise level comfortable to hold a conversation, or too quiet or too loud?

Ambiance is a key indicator of the comfort of the guest throughout the meal, and the secret shopper will ensure that opportunities for improvement are identified.

5. Efficiency of Service

Restaurant guests expect a certain level of efficiency upon entering. The secret shopper will assess:

Speed of Service: Was the food and beverage service prompt or delivered at lightning speed?

Problem Resolution: If there was a mistake with the order (i.e., incorrect food or beverage), how quickly and respectfully was it corrected?

Check-Out Process: Was the check presented in a timely manner? Did the server make the customer feel at ease when offering the check to pay? 

A well-run restaurant keeps the customers nurtured without getting too slow or being hasty. 

6. Overall Customer Experience

Finally, the mystery shopper will assess overall customer experience. From being shy to leaving the restaurant, they will evaluate how all the pieces came together to deliver an unbroken dining experience.

Was the overall experience worthy of the level of your restaurant’s brand? Was the experience pleasant enough to visit again?

Why Is Mystery Shopping Important to My Restaurant

Mystery shopping is an excellent tool that can be used by restaurant managers and owners to provide an impartial view of the customer experience. Here’s why it is particularly valuable:

Unbiased Feedback: Mystery diners provide unbiased feedback, which reveals areas for improvement that aren’t immediately visible to regular staff or management.

Improved Customer Experience: Having your restaurant’s strengths and weaknesses available, you can make choices that enhance the food experience and build loyal customers.

Employee Training: When a mystery shopper leaves feedback on how your staff must change (e.g., menu education or service speed), you can use that to retrain employees.

More Guest Satisfaction: The ultimate purpose of mystery shopping is to allow you to create an area where customers’ experiences are always amazing, so they can return and leave sweet comments. 

Last Thoughts

Mystery shopper gives you a picture of how your restaurant performs as seen by your customer. Whether it’s the quality of service, the taste of your food, or the cleanliness of your restaurant, mystery shopping is the best means to enable you to keep your standards and make improvements where needed.

At Secret Pilot, we provide restaurant mystery shopping solutions to assist you in elevating your customer experience. Want to know how your restaurant measures up? Call us today and allow us to provide you with actionable, insightful feedback that will allow you to provide the ultimate dining experience.

Contact Us

Visit SecretPilot.co for additional information on our mystery shopping solutions and begin now!