Actually I agree with the editor. Your "food" description is pretty generic. Reading it, the editor has no idea what type of food it was. Yes, I realize that it is probably somewhere else in the report but it still needs to be in the commentaries.@pammie8223 wrote:
An example of the question was 'why did you give the food the rating that you did?' My answer, " I gave the food an excellent rating because it tasted delicious and was presented in an attractive, appetizing manner. Editor said that I should have described the food. I'm giving the company a break.
If I was the customer, I could do nothing to improve operations with such a generic observation. They want details about each item on the plate. Here is what a low end steakhouse brought me not that long ago.@pammie8223 wrote:
" I gave the food an excellent rating because it tasted delicious and was presented in an attractive, appetizing manner. "
@Sybil2 wrote:
Actually I agree with the editor. Your "food" description is pretty generic. Reading it, the editor has no idea what type of food it was. Yes, I realize that it is probably somewhere else in the report but it still needs to be in the commentaries.
@MrEToomey wrote:
It will eventually happen, Documentarian. Some 22-year old fresh out of college with a 2.01 GPA will decide to "reword your report for better flow" or rubber-stamp "Moderate grammatical errors" where there are none. Just smile at the dinged report and say, "Bless your heart." When the scheduler asks why you won't take the bear of a shop without a huge bonus, THAT's the time to talk about it. There's nothing but frustration meeting it head-on with his sort of editor.
@Documentarian wrote:
I read this thread with interest because I'm a freelance writer who's been published in a couple of national specialty magazines, and my editors say I'm the least amount of trouble to edit of anyone on their freelancer list. Many of my articles are critical in nature (book reviews, for example) so writing mystery shop evaluations is just a sliver of experience away from what I already do.
In just the month I've been back at this, I've been gigged a time or two for procedural errors (e.g., commenting on pictures I took), but not so far on composition. I'll have to wait and see if I ever run into an editor looking to make a name,...
@scanman1 wrote:
If I was the customer, I could do nothing to improve operations with such a generic observation. They want details about each item on the plate. Here is what a low end steakhouse brought me not that long ago.@pammie8223 wrote:
" I gave the food an excellent rating because it tasted delicious and was presented in an attractive, appetizing manner. "
"The food runner needed to auction off the two dinners and did not ask if we needed anything after dropping the plates on the table and leaving immediately. I ordered the ribeye steak medium and when I cut into it, there was a solid raw red center and blood pooled on the plate. The baked potato was completely soggy and dark yellow in color. Even thought the potato was well past its holding time, the butter I placed on top of it did not melt as it was cold as well. The Broccoli was freshly steamed and a dark green color and had a great texture and was served hot. The waitress did not do a check back to the table for 7 minutes and 34 seconds after the steak was served."
Now, that is something a manager reading the report can address. If I said, "The steak dinner was terrible and the service was slow." there would be nothing in the report to improve that problem.
Yes, I sent that plate back and the manager had the order recooked and changed my potato for something else. Then I cut into the steak while he hovered at the table and there was not even a hint of pink. I didn't even have to say what was wrong with it. I just showed it to him and he picked the plate back up for the second time and carried it back to the kitchen.
I won't say what restaurant this is, but I have never returned for a shop there. If it was not a well established chain of over 30 years and located in the heart of tourist hell, they would have shuttered the doors.
@scanman1 wrote:
If I was the customer, I could do nothing to improve operations with such a generic observation. They want details about each item on the plate. Here is what a low end steakhouse brought me not that long ago.@pammie8223 wrote:
" I gave the food an excellent rating because it tasted delicious and was presented in an attractive, appetizing manner. "
"The food runner needed to auction off the two dinners and did not ask if we needed anything after dropping the plates on the table and leaving immediately. I ordered the ribeye steak medium and when I cut into it, there was a solid raw red center and blood pooled on the plate. The baked potato was completely soggy and dark yellow in color. Even thought the potato was well past its holding time, the butter I placed on top of it did not melt as it was cold as well. The Broccoli was freshly steamed and a dark green color and had a great texture and was served hot. The waitress did not do a check back to the table for 7 minutes and 34 seconds after the steak was served."
Now, that is something a manager reading the report can address. If I said, "The steak dinner was terrible and the service was slow." there would be nothing in the report to improve that problem.
Yes, I sent that plate back and the manager had the order recooked and changed my potato for something else. Then I cut into the steak while he hovered at the table and there was not even a hint of pink. I didn't even have to say what was wrong with it. I just showed it to him and he picked the plate back up for the second time and carried it back to the kitchen.
I won't say what restaurant this is, but I have never returned for a shop there. If it was not a well established chain of over 30 years and located in the heart of tourist hell, they would have shuttered the doors.
The dining reports I do want detailed descriptions & accurate timings. Double whammy.@incognito wrote:
Thank you for the beautifully written and descriptive report it was not what we need. The editor said this is what we want: At 8:03 the waiter took our order. 8:05 brought water, 8:15.arrived with all the food and refreshed the drinks. etc. Nothing exciting. However, I was told that the editors loved reading my report since it was refreshing to read with what thy normally get.
@aayaey wrote:
Watch out for all those contractions you've used.
I don't understand why it's not ok to use contractions if it is used properly. I'm, I've, I'll, it's don't ... It's a common part of the English language.