Does anyone have a trick out there for keeping track of the timing of fast food shops? The shops require so much documented timing but I find it difficult. I obviously cannot have a stopwatch nor can I write anything down without looking obvious. Anyone have any tricks of the trade?

For the inside shop I had a stopwatch in each pocket. I would start the first one when I joined the line and stopped it when I reached the counter. I would start the second one after my order. I never took my finger off the start/stop button. when I stopped the reach counter time I had the money in that pocket to pay for the meal. When I got my food I stopped the second watch. I had a puzzle book or newspaper under my arm and would record the time when I sat down. I also wrote the clerk's name. Nobody pays any attention to someone reading at the table.

IN the car I had three stop watches and could time the three different times needed. It is easier in the car than in side the building.

1) Buy a Timex Ironman watch with a 30 lap or more chrongraph. Wal-Mart sells them in the $30 range.
2) Study the manual sheet that come with the watch and set the ALARM feature to go off daily at 12:00 PM or 12:00 AM (your choice as you will need to be able to reset the watch's CHRONO feature) Why? So that your CHRONO will be co-ordinated with the actual time in a relevant manner.
3) When your watch alarm goes off at 12:00 PM or AM, reset the CHRONO. Now it will show elapsed time from 12:00 PM or AM and the number will replicate the actual time (Military time if you chose 12:00 AM as your reset time).
4) You are ready to use the watch to record timings. Be sure it is in CHRONO mode and press the START/SPLIT button to register a lap. For example, you would discreetly press the START/SPLIT button when you enter the restaurant. That would show as lap 1. Next, you would press the START/SPLIT button when you join the line to register your second timing, and so on until all your timings have been registered. If you've properly reset your CHRONO at 12:00 PM or AM, The actual time you pressed the START/SPLIT button will be shown as part of the display as well as the elapsed time. Each time you press the START/SPLIT button you will be recording the elapsed time from the previous lap (the time you last pressed the START/SPLIT button.

To keep things discreet, I keep my thumb on the large button of my particular Ironman watch as my hand is behind my back and press it accordingly.
I know this may sound complicated to some, but once you've done it once, it will make taking your timings easily and discreetly so much easier. I know there are many that use this method and I am certain they can explain it in much simpler terms.

Wow, I just have a cheap boys digital watch and I memorize the 3 times til I get to the table, then I put them into my Blackberry when I reach the table (it just looks like I'm texting). I only memorize the minute and seconds, repeating them like a mantra while I wait.

Sorry my advice isnt anything fancy

When I am in a sit down restaurant or bar audit, I always have a puzzle book or crossword and I will write my notes into the puzzle boxes or margins right in front of them and no one knows any different. Classified ads work well too.

jjage Wrote:
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> Wow, I just have a cheap boys digital watch and I
> memorize the 3 times til I get to the table, then
> I put them into my Blackberry when I reach the
> table (it just looks like I'm texting). I only
> memorize the minute and seconds, repeating them
> like a mantra while I wait.
>
> Sorry my advice isnt anything fancy
>
> When I am in a sit down restaurant or bar audit, I
> always have a puzzle book or crossword and I will
> write my notes into the puzzle boxes or margins
> right in front of them and no one knows any
> different. Classified ads work well too.


Ditto on the puzzle book or newspaper. There are a lot of margins to write notes. The pages are also easy to cover if someone comes near the table.

The benefit of a CHRONO watch, such as the Timex Ironman, is that it stores all of the timings until a reset is done. No memorizing is required. The model I use has a 50 lap capability. It is invaluable when you do fine dining or cruise ship dinner service timings.

Another method is to use a DVR (digital voice recorder). Just make sure the accurate time is initially set on the recorder, keep it in a blouse or shirt pocket and press the play button. The Olympus WS-300M model I use has an excellent built in microphone, that when set to CONFERENCE mode, picks up all voices and sounds. The cost of such a model is around $60. You can mark timing points by coughing or making any discernible sound. When you play it back, the time can be shown in the display and is co-ordinated to the recording.

I definitely use the DVR for multiple timings with coughs, clicks or other noises to define start/stop times. For casual and fine dining timings I just mention the exact time of the service to the microphone in the bra.

I have a stopwatch in my cell phone. I just use the "lap timing" feature. I write down the time I arrive, and start the watch, as soon as I oull in. Then all my times are based on that initial time, plus the lap.

Any cheap digital stop watch with lap timing capabilities will work just fine.

When we first started, I would have my wife go with me, (I know it's not allowed, but we didn't sit together) she would go in first, get a drink and sit down. Then she would observe me and write down all the specific times. It was pretty low tech, but it worked for a while. Then we both got too busy to be able to sit around and watch each other work.

Wow, some interesting ways. Right now I don't think I want to invest $30. Has anyone ever tried using voicemail on their cell phone in some way?

I have an ipod Touch and downloaded a stopwatch app for it. I go into the restaurant with the earpiece in my ear and just pretend that I REALLY like the song I'm listening to. I pretend to touch the screen as if i'm stopping the song long enough to order.. and then touch the next lap while pretending I'm starting the song up again while waiting for my food. It helps if you sing slightly off-key after "starting" the song again.

I did one today without my DVR (forgot to change batteries so it was flat). Simple enough, just start the timer, glance at it as I look at the cash in my hand as he announced the price (1 min 16 seconds) and then stopped it when the food hit the tray (1 min 38 seconds). Went to the table, got my drink & stuff, wrote it down and I was good. All I had to remember was 1:16 for about 90 seconds.

I use the stop watch on my phone. I always bring a book with me with a sticky note on one of the pages, then when I sit I write down the times, ee's name, etc. Then when I check out the restroom, I write down my other notes.

I have a small Panasonic Personal Recorder that fits inside my bra. It records everything said and it has a timer on it so all I have to do is play it back and write down the times that everything happened. It was a great investment - especiallly good at restaurants. I can actually sit back and enjoy myself.

I must get me a DVR! Thanks for all the suggestions, now I am convinced its worth the investment.
I tried using the voice notes application on my phone, which works well if I just have one narrative...not good for starting and stopping and no way to save many of them...you have to "send the note" to someone in order to save it, so I just send it to myself.

Better yet, get an iPhone. It's like having a mac in your pocket, and you can even input your shop on it in a pinch. DVR features built in, speedily downloads to iTunes on plug in to computer.