I recently encountered this situation on a shop and I'm wondering how you would report this. Or would you not report it at all? As I was waiting for my sandwich, an employee who was not yet on duty but was in the "required uniform" entered the store and sat at a table in the dining area eating a meal he had purchased from a competing fast-food business. I would say it's "inappropriate" to eat a competitors food in the dining area.... but the employee's shift had not yet started. Then an employee behind the counter handed me an empty bag and said since I seemed to enjoy the free peanuts, I should fill up the bag and take some home with me. Was this helpful and attentive customer service or inappropriate behavior? Please.... give me your thoughts on this. I'm undecided.

The guy off shift can eat whatever he wants. I would not mention it. I am not familiar with the eval form for this shop, but if there's a comment box the extra bag would belong there, if anywhere at all. The employee made a kind gesture.

Actually, they discourage taking peanuts out of the store due to allergies. You said the employee suggested to take some peanuts home? I believe there are signs to not remove peanuts from the store.

You should mention the take home bag of peanuts part in addt'l comments area.

You asked if it was good customer service or inappropriate behavior. Are you saying you think the employee was being a smartass?

I would mention both and let them decide how important it is.

First, the employee eating a competitor's food in the dining room. This is important for two reasons. First, any one, customer or employee, eating food brought in from the outside exposes place to a lawsuit and health department problems if that food causes food poisoning. Second, a person visibly identifiable as an employee eating a competitor's food in the dining room tells customers the restaurant's food is not desirable. I certainly would not want that occurring in my restaurant.

As for the take home peanuts, this may or may not be acceptable behavior. Having been to this restaurant, I have not seen that behavior. Mention it and let them decide how important it is. They might reward the employee, tell them not to do it, or do something in the middle.

Some will say this MSP/client doesn't receive out-of-the box comments well, maybe even giving shoppers problems for doing it. I can't disagree with that observation. It makes me hesitate to suggest reporting it to this company. However, in general I know there are many companies and clients that would love to see these type of comments. It is these types of comments that really show the value of mystery shopping.

@vlade5394 wrote:

Some will say this MSP/client doesn't receive out-of-the box comments well, maybe even giving shoppers problems for doing it. I can't disagree with that observation. It makes me hesitate to suggest reporting it to this company. However, in general I know there are many companies and clients that would love to see these type of comments. It is these types of comments that really show the value of mystery shopping.

I have been denied for the same reason above with is MSC. It was a different client. Forever more I will not comment on any thing not asked.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2015 01:22PM by sillysister74.

@heartlandcanuck wrote:

The guy off shift can eat whatever he wants. I would not mention it. I am not familiar with the eval form for this shop, but if there's a comment box the extra bag would belong there, if anywhere at all. The employee made a kind gesture.

Agree, it really is a nicety! Enjoy! They are that nice.. there is a place I know where you can take as many loaves of bread home that you like: free, after your meal.

It is not for us to decide what is or isn't appropriate, if not covered by the report or guidelines. I think I know where you were. Several of those locations, in my area, have signs alerting customers that they can not consume food from outside the restaurant while dining there. A few months ago I noted in my report that a guest brought a large bowl of soup into the location (purchased next door), they consumed it while another guest in their party consumed the food ordered there. I also reported an employee once for walking in with food from another location, followed by eating it in the kitchen, something the report does ask about and says is not appropriate - even if it was food from there the employees can not eat or drink in the kitchen.

As for the bag for peanuts, I would mention it. I would use the subjective areas at the end of the report, just mention it and let them decide if it was appropriate or not.

I think off workers can eat what they want, so I would not mention it. I haven't been to this restaurant in a while, but there used to be signs in each location advising that, because of peanut allergies, diners were prohibited from taking peanuts outside the restaurant. If those signs are still present, I would mention that "an employee behind the counter handed me an empty bag and said since I seemed to enjoy the free peanuts, I should fill up the bag and take some home with me." If there are signs in the location to the contrary, that is inappropriate.

We don't have those signs at most of the locations here. On one of my last ones, an employee asked me if I would like a bag to take some home with me. I declined, but did not feel it was worth mentioning, but I might mention it in the future.

As for the employee eating another restaurants food. That should be mentioned and I am surprised a manager or supervisor didn't say or do anything. As vlade mentioned, it sends a bad message to the customers. Employees can do whatever they want on their own time, but don't bring a meal from somewhere else and eat it in front of customers.

I tend to read fast.... so when I saw this: heartlandcannuck, "The guy off shift can eat whatever he wants." I thought it said, "The guy can eat sh** if he wants"

I have seen customers ask for a bag for peanuts and it has always been granted. Most of the time this has been with to go orders, but I have also seen it with folks who were getting ready to leave. I view the peanut allergy notice more as a disclaimer to limit liability than as prohibition to taking out peanuts. Another restaurant in the area has a barrel of peanuts in the shell that atop the barrel they have printed up bags with the restaurant name for you to fill yourself a bag.

I have seen pizza deliveries taken into the back, I have seen meals being brought in from Olive Garden, I have seen employees report for work with what appeared to be a bagged lunch from home. As much as I enjoy the cuisine I certainly would not want a steady diet of it, even if it was free for employees. When they are on break some employees eat outside at the tables if the weather is nice, or out behind the building sitting on the curb, or inside at the tables back by the restrooms and the door to the back kitchen, so I suspect these places do not have a 'break room'.

I would not report either of these behaviors as I find neither interferes with the quality, service or cleanliness I am there to observe.

I saw a manager get several pizzas delivered to a FF restaurant and immediately carried them into the back where they have an employee break room. The employees all rotated out of sight and took turns eating a slice. I'm assuming it was a reward of some sort and it did not effect any timing or customer service. I did not report it to the large MSC.

If there is a narrative that easily allows for this kind of comment, I would include both. As many have said, it's not our place to decide relevance. We are to objectively report what we observe. If uncertain, I would submit the report without it and then I would email the scheduler and say that you noticed these two things but were not sure whether or not they belonged in the report. Tell the scheduler you wanted to pass on the information for them to handle as they deem appropriate. You've done your job and it's on to the next one!

And my opinion on the employee eating competitor's food is this: If they are in uniform, they are representing the company. Anything they say or do in uniform affects their employer. They should eat in the break room or out of customer sight if eating a competitor's food while on duty. That's just my opinion.

And what we are to observe is specified. Your opinion is your opinion and is not what we are sent in to observe. If you passed on such information to me as a scheduler I would wonder if you had some axe to grind with the location.

I think that would be a jaded point of view, Flash. Telling the scheduler what you saw is simply stating I'm not sure if this is something the client would want to know or not, so I'm passing this on to be handled (or ignored). It's an objective observation and sometimes the scheduler or editor knows better what the client might want to know.

I am reminded of a report I made on an airport bar restaurant shop when I was a rookie. I became chatty and added that the service was slow and I saw some patrons leave. Although I was paid, I was told to report only on my experience. From that time on, I never volunteer information. I report only on what was asked of me.

This particular casual dining shop has specific questions and I answer them fully. However, I learned my lesson and when I report, I act as if I were in court. I never volunteer information unless I am specifically asked about it. If there is a part where I am to narrate my experience, then I would include some observation. But never in this type of shop! All they inquire about, outside of the indoor and outdoor cleanliness, are the service provided and the food served. There is also a question about special customer service received. Any additional information would be adlib remarks.

I did one shop in that restaurant where a customer asked for a bag of peanuts. The manager placed three scoops but the customer went back and filled the bag. Then she asked for another bag. The manager asked a staff to give her a bag but I could see that she was really surprised and displeased. She avoided looking at the customer. I did not include that in my report. Earlier in my mshopping days I would have and I suspect I would have gotten in trouble. I did, in one wireless shop where I added some observation outside of what they asked for and was not paid because they accused me of not following the scenario. "Or else, why did the staff provide you with info on other service?" they asked.

@Flash wrote:

And what we are to observe is specified. Your opinion is your opinion and is not what we are sent in to observe. If you passed on such information to me as a scheduler I would wonder if you had some axe to grind with the location.

No, not at all. I think he was trying to provide kind service. However, I doubt that management would want the employees encouraging customers to take home full bags of peanuts. I would think that could get costly.

I think this is a great thread to look at. If you take a step back, you can see that we have different opinions about what we think is appropriate and what we do not think is appropriate. We are also making some assumptions on what we think the company may or may not want, myself included. It just reiterates to me, we need to be as objective as possible.

I think the best case would be to ask the scheduler or help desk, if this is something that should be reported.

@AustinMom wrote:

I think off workers can eat what they want, so I would not mention it.

Absolutely. But not in my dining room if I own a restaurant.