i once did a fine dining restaurant shop (last summer) with a guest, but won't do one ever again unless it is solo, as far as i'm concerned. it was great food (a really excellent meal at $75 for two people). i invited my good friend whom i've known for 20 years, because we have always enjoyed visiting new restaurants together. my friend was always asking me about my mystery shopping, being genuinely glad for me that i had found this new field of work. he keeps asking me, even today, to invite him again to more restaurant shops. he had a great experience.
but he almost blew the shop for me. i told him to generally be quiet. just smile and be polite. that should be the easiest thing in the world, right? let me do all of the talking. just act naive and don't say anything, but hello when greeted. maybe comment about the weather. i'll take care of the rest.
when we arrive, my friend immediately takes charge of the place, becoming the best friend of the manager. he acted like he's the shopper with the authority to evaluate the employee service, although not saying that we were shopping them. of course, he wasn't writing the report. he was just tagging along with me. he totally attracted attention to both himself and me, so that we would be remembered forever. then he orders the waiter around, not giving the waiter a chance to speak. eventually, near the end of the restaurant shop, he tells the waiter that we are required to order a dessert, but just to wrap it up for him so that he could give it to his wife and not let it go to waste. his stomach was full and he loved the food.
then the shop report had 70 detailed questions with maybe 15-20 paragraphs of narrative. it was the most excruciating narrative that i had ever done, because it was hard to detail the experience, when my friend barely let the waiter talk. although the meal was one of the best that i've ever had, and the reimbursement was $75, i'd rather do without the mental stress, and eat a turkey/bologna sandwich with mustard, pickles and jalapeno peppers on generic wheat toast. it costs about 50 cents, but it is stress free. therefore it tastes better.
but he almost blew the shop for me. i told him to generally be quiet. just smile and be polite. that should be the easiest thing in the world, right? let me do all of the talking. just act naive and don't say anything, but hello when greeted. maybe comment about the weather. i'll take care of the rest.
when we arrive, my friend immediately takes charge of the place, becoming the best friend of the manager. he acted like he's the shopper with the authority to evaluate the employee service, although not saying that we were shopping them. of course, he wasn't writing the report. he was just tagging along with me. he totally attracted attention to both himself and me, so that we would be remembered forever. then he orders the waiter around, not giving the waiter a chance to speak. eventually, near the end of the restaurant shop, he tells the waiter that we are required to order a dessert, but just to wrap it up for him so that he could give it to his wife and not let it go to waste. his stomach was full and he loved the food.
then the shop report had 70 detailed questions with maybe 15-20 paragraphs of narrative. it was the most excruciating narrative that i had ever done, because it was hard to detail the experience, when my friend barely let the waiter talk. although the meal was one of the best that i've ever had, and the reimbursement was $75, i'd rather do without the mental stress, and eat a turkey/bologna sandwich with mustard, pickles and jalapeno peppers on generic wheat toast. it costs about 50 cents, but it is stress free. therefore it tastes better.
