There is a fantastic server who works at a restaurant that I shop every so often. I've had him as my server for almost every shop--maybe a total of 3 or 4 times. He's personable and efficient and knows the menu backwards and forwards.

So, today he greets me as usual, gives me the spiel, I order my beverage. I've ordered it before but it's a standard drink off the menu, nothing unusual. As soon as I place that order, he says, "Oh, yeah, I remember you now--you've been in here before, haven't you?" He proceeds to get a perfect score on service.

I'm going to order a different beverage next time I shop the chain, and avoid this particular location for a bit, but my question is this: would you include in your report that the server remembered you? It's a sign of great customer service....but I know for a fact that this particular client shares their reports with their staff. He'll be rewarded handsomely--and well deservedly--for the perfect score on the checklist, regardless. But if he sees that a customer he recognized wrote the report on this particular day, I'm outed. I'm inclined to be as generic as possible in the narrative. Is it dishonest to leave this detail out?

No, it is not dishonest to not report that a server said "I remember you." (If he said "I remember you, you are the mystery shopper, you've shopped me 3 times before," I'd be calling the scheduler.) A good server would probably remember a returning customer, and is is not a bad thing for him to say he remembers you, And it's my bet that he tells other returning customers that he remembers them and then gives good service. There are many places I go that I am greeted with "welcome back" and "good to see you again" .... places that have nothing to do with mystery shopping. I'm sure you don't report word-for-word everything you and server say to each other, so be generic in reporting the conversation. Because he remembers you as a customer does not mean he has connected you with his mystery shopper. He likely will have a number of customers on the same day as you, some of whom he will have recognized, so, even if you DID report that he said "I remember you," I'm not convinced he would connect the dots to you as the mystery shopper.

I wouldn't say anything, you don't know for sure if he thinks your a shopper. My grocery store (I do often),
everyone knows me, acknowledge's me, and that's a good employee remembering customers, great way to get a nice tip. I'm sure the client will let the MSC know if you've been spotted. Most people go to their favorite restaurant over and over. Sounds like he's a friendly guy, leave it at that.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

I wouldn't say anything, you don't know for sure if he thinks your a shopper. My grocery store (I do often),
everyone knows me, acknowledge's me, and that's a good employee remembering customers, great way to get a nice tip. I'm sure the client will let the MSC know if you've been spotted. Most people go to their favorite restaurant over and over. Sounds like he's a friendly guy, leave it at that.

I agree. The local grocery store that I do here I do my personal shopping and my mystery shopping there. A lot of the staff remembers me. I think that helps my cover. I am there all the time, so how could I be the mystery shopper?????? I am just a regular customer

On a side note, my husband and I eat at a restaurant that is about 100 miles from our home at least once a month. Everyone knows us there and knows we are in town visiting his granny. It is not a mystery shop. We frequent there and the servers even know what we drink and usually what we order. I would not go anywhere else in that town to eat because of the awesome service we receive there.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2016 07:28PM by casper7776.

I did mention in a report that as we departed a manager said, "Good night! We'll see you next week!" That comment did raise question by the editor and I was quick to point out that we had never seen a male manager in that restaurant, had not been there since the previous shop 3 months before and had not seen this guy as a server or manager at this or any other location prior to this visit. He was glad handing and hoping to plant the idea we should come back soon. We have also had servers tell us 'Welcome back' at places we have never been before. In your case you did recognize the server and perhaps the server recognized you or was just glad handing.

The weirdest OMG moment was when I was doing the Golden Arches (back in January) and I had just did the dine in portion and then I went through the drive-thru. As I approached the speaker to order, the associate said, "Welcome Back!" I froze for a second, placed my order and felt weird driving up to the window....

But looking back on it, was she just saying that in a friendly manner or was she saying: "Hey. I just saw you in here. Wow! You must love our food. Welcome Back!" I was not sure which it was....but I did not shop that one for awhile.

There is a way to handle reporting that the server recognized you without actually point out that it was you--by saying that the server spoke to a customer in a welcoming manner and commented that he remembered them coming in on a previous visit. When I do my Chipotle shops and crew members make table visits, I found out that if a crew member visits my table, I am not supposed to state that they visited my table but to mention that a crew member was speaking to seated guests in the dining room. Also when specific things have happened or were said on the line, I am supposed to write about it in the third person as if I observed it instead of it happening to me.

That's an excellent suggestion, @JASFLALMT.

It sounds to me like he would have gotten a perfect score anyway. I wouldn't mention it.

I have been doing a shop consistently over the past few months, and the staff there is starting to know me. As far as I can tell they have no idea what I am doing there, but it was interesting when I came in once and a staff member knew me by name. They still miss things so I can't imagine they know why I'm there.

I would not mention it, or I would do it Chipotle style as mentioned above if I really wanted to reward the server.

Speaking of McDonald's, I remember when they started saying welcome back to everyone in the beginning of this year (or whenever that was). It startled me for a moment also.

Jasflalmt, that rule you mention for Chipotle is one I have never come across. Is it something new? My instructions say pretty much the opposite and actually want me to report what is said to me directly and also if anyone stops by my table.
As for the issue that Alter_Ego brings up, I do a shop every few months where I have to purchase the same one type of item over and over in addition to 2 other items and then return some of them a few days later. I am a rewards member. When I was there last the associate did not even ask if I was a rewards member but immediately said she knew I was. When she looks in her computer she can see that I purchase the same thing each time and then return it. She was friendly and smiled but absolutely blew the entire rest of the shop. She even kept openly yawning while serving me. I have no idea how they have not yet figured out I am a shopper there. I needed to put the lack of any probing questions, follow up questions, up sells and even her short stay with me when I asked her to help me in the report. That would certainly out me more than if I said she remembered me. At this store the associates are all company owners so I am pretty sure they see the report. So I would not worry either way about commenting that they recognized you however I do not think it is necessary.

It is not an official rule for Chipotle to use the third person, it is a suggestion to help keep mystery shopper identification to a minimum. The editors are probably changing your reports to reflect a third person perspective for anything they deem memorable. I save them the trouble and write it that way to begin with. If you are part of their facebook page you would probably already understand this unwritten, unofficial rule. It is unique to that MSC, but I now use it in my other reports for other MSCs as well. That way you can give the associate credit without making yourself memorable.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2016 08:37AM by Lady Marius.

Unless you're doing a mystery gas shop after doing a revealed one a couple months ago and you get the employee with the photographic memory. "Hey..aren't you...?" Nope, just getting gas and a snack. Really.

In one of the shops that I always do, we are supposed to pose as customers who have never been to any of their restaurants before. So I would have trouble if somebody said that they had recognized me from a previous visit and said welcome back. In one location, I had superb service from one server, and it was on my birthday so she went all out and comped me a special dessert with 'Happy Birthday, my name' in butterscotch sauce. When I went back 3 months later, I thought for sure she'd have remembered me, but she did not or at least did not let on, so that's good!

was she saying: "Hey. I just saw you in here. Wow! You must love our food. Welcome Back!"

I have had people at the drive-thru recognize me from just being inside. I just tell them that I almost forgot I was supposed to pick up something for someone else while I was there.

Exactly that, Lady Marius. The editors change the reports to protect shoppers from being identified (I am an ex-editor). I found out about this unoffical rule before I became an editor, however, because an editor alerted me about it on one of my early reports when I first started shopping for them.

@Lady Marius wrote:

It is not an official rule for Chipotle to use the third person, it is a suggestion to help keep mystery shopper identification to a minimum. The editors are probably changing your reports to reflect a third person perspective for anything they deem memorable. I save them the trouble and write it that way to begin with. If you are part of their facebook page you would probably already understand this unwritten, unofficial rule. It is unique to that MSC, but I now use it in my other reports for other MSCs as well. That way you can give the associate credit without making yourself memorable.

Ask for a different server, and start ordering different items. You want to know if the whole staff if doing the correct procedure. Besides why give him the bonus all the time, spread the wealth,

Wouldn't asking for a different server make the shopper memorable? If I was a manager and had a customer do that, I would also think maybe there was a problem with the server they did not want.

I think shoppers become paranoid that everyone knows us. Not saying that sometimes its not true.
Unless it is specifically stated that they think you are a shopper then I would take it at face value and evaluate them based on your guidelines.
I go in to all my shops as the first time I have every been there. It helps me get into the right frame of mind and I can see things in perspective If you don't you might have a tendency to use previous visits as a standard for your reports. You might have visited this same place 50 times but the 1 time that there are smudges on the glass, or the server dumps your drink, or the manage does not stop by your table, all has to be reported accurately.
In all honesty I found myself giving one specific restaurant a pass on a cleanliness issue because I had been there often and it had never been that way before. After filing the report in their favor my mind would not let it go. It was unfair to the company I was working for. I felt I had violated my own ethics. It was a very simple thing but it made me a stronger shopper. Maybe even a strong person.
Sorry for the ramble.
Back to the point. Don't assume you are being noticed because you are a shopper. Assume you are being noticed because they are doing their jobs. Do not try and read more into their actions and just state the facts.

I understand that it is my job as a Mystery Shopper to report all details relevant to the shop so that the client cannot complain that something was left out. It is the editor's job to determine what the client ultimately receives. I would include it.

You guys take this sheet so seriously. Have fun and make a little money.