Restaurant Mystery Diner

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 1,2

Restaurant Mystery Diner

What is a mystery diner?

Let's define the term:

Mystery diner at a restaurant

It's someone pretending to be a customer. Their job is to check and judge the restaurant like a regular diner. They make sure the restaurant meets all the expectations for a good dining experience. 

Have you ever received a mystery diner at your restaurant?

Who hires a mystery diner?

• The restaurant owner uses mystery diners to get a better idea of how well the business is doing and how the team is doing.
  
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• Mystery diners are also used by other restaurants to learn about the services, quality, and strategies used by competitors in the market.
  
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• Government agencies use mystery diners to check if restaurants are following the law and meeting the minimum standards for the hospitality industry in the area 

Let's look at the 10 things a mystery diner will check for:

1. Available staff

 The first thing that the mystery diner will observe upon entering the restaurant is how many people are working in the dinner service and if the staffing is adequate for the demand at that time. They will also check if they are wearing the uniforms properly and have a pleasant appearance. 

Do you have enough staff at the restaurant?

😒🙁😐🙂😃

What is a correct uniform and appearance?

2. Customer service

 The mystery customer will particularly check if they are served on time upon arriving at the establishment, if the service is friendly and assertive, if the staff introduce themselves and take care of their needs as soon as they enter. Afterwards, they will review how they are treated during the service and upon finishing. 

How friendly and assertive are you to your new guests?

😒🙁😐🙂😃

Write down an English version of what you say when greeting a new guest(s).

3. Cleanliness and setting

 They will also analyse the level of cleanliness at the entrance, the parking lot if applicable, the dining areas, restrooms, etc. along with the ambiance, if the music or noise is tolerable, if there is adequate lighting, if the smells are pleasant and if the temperature is comfortable. 

Name a cleaning task you do

Describe the ambiance:
Music, noise, lighting, smells, temperature

4. Accessibility

 Another important point in their evaluation is to see if the restaurant's entrances, ramps, and hallways are safe and if the restaurant is tailored to handicapped people. 

How safe is the restaurant in your opinion?

0100

How well does the restaurant cater to handicapped guests?

😒🙁😐🙂😃

5. Wait times

 They will measure how long it takes to carry out every activity, especially the amount of time taken to place their orders, how long it takes for said orders to arrive at the table and the time between dishes, if they manage to pay the bill quickly, and the time that the team takes to solve contingencies. 

How long do your customers usually wait for their order and how long between dishes?

6. Product knowledge

 Another secret of their job is ensuring that the staff that serves them is familiar with the offering and provides complete and detailed information about the dishes and beverages. 

Which options do you have for a vegan?

The fish dish on the menu...what is the type of fish, where is it from, how is it prepared?

Is it possible to share a starter? Explain what the option for this is.

Which meat dish goes well with which red house wine?

7. Quality of the menu

 Of course, they will analyze the menu and its physical appearance and see if it can be understood, if it is properly written, the arrangement of the selection as well as the prices and quality of all the food compared to the expectations that are sold. 

In your opinion how clear is the menu to read?

0100

Is the menu good value for money?

Yes

No

Does the food meet the expectation the menu gives?

Not really

Yes, it does

Name and describe the best selling dish. How much does it cost?

Name and describe the mains dish least sold. What is its price?

8. Interest in the customer's needs

 This is a very important point, especially in these times of personalised service. The mystery customer will confirm if the staff has understood their preferences, if they are interested in satisfying them, and if they are offered solutions. 

Give an example of how you listened to a customer and tried to meet their expectation.

9. Sales strategies

The mystery customer will also observe if the staff has used strategies such as cross-selling or upselling to offer them better products, promotions and increase sales. 

Do you encourage guests to spend more money?

No way!

Not yet

Sometimes

If the customer wants

Of course!

Give an example of an offer you have of a better product to sell.

Give an example in English of what is either said or written in the menu to encourage guests to spend more.

10. Retention

 Finally, they will see how well they are seen off and what reasoning or actions do the staff take to motivate them to come back and make them a regular customer. 

What can you say in English to a guest as they leave?

Conclusion

It's good to know that having a mystery diner is a great way to make a restaurant better. Whether it's a company or the restaurant itself doing the evaluation, these are like check-ups to fix small things you might miss. They also help catch big mistakes that could be bad for your business.

Follow up

Once their evaluation has ended, the mystery customer produces a full report of all the information that they have gathered on their culinary experience at the restaurant. 

As a follow up assignment there is a part 2 called Mystery Diner Review. In it you explore a review and think up solutions to improve the restaurant you work at.