Doing my first one this afternoon and could use some clarification, since I know many of you do this shop....

I will be going with my family. I know I have to place my order first, and I know that I need to wait for the cashier to prompt for the one or two items I don't order right away.

My question is, the guidelines say to wait, if necessary, until your order is totaled before you ask for the other item(s). But since there will be other people with me, do I wait until it looks as if the cashier is ready for the next person in the party to order, then do one of the, "Oh, I forgot; I also want a (blank)"? We'll be paying on one receipt.

I'm hoping the order taker does what he or she is supposed to! I hate standing there like an idiot waiting for the prompt, especially if there are people behind me waiting to order (whether they're with me or not).

TIA!

It's not when your order is totaled on the register, it's when you place YOUR order to completion. That means if there is silence, you wait for the associate to offer you fries and drink with YOUR order. If he does not say anything and tries to hit the register keys, then you say "I will have fries with that" (since you are required to order the 3 items even if the cashier does not offer you fries or drink.) But most important, you must give the associate the opportunity to ask you if you want fries or drink (whichever you did not order).

Then you have the rest of your party order.

I make a list of what everybody wants so I go to the register alone. Make sure you order YOUR entrée first because that is the one they will reimburse for. So I put in all the orders with toppings and check the screen that they are correct. Then comes the 'pregnant pause' while the cashier asks for fries and drinks. There needs to be some kind of fries order (for 2 we get little, for 3 or more we get regular) and at least one fountain beverage. They also will provide cups for water on request so for 2 there is usually one fountain beverage and for 3 there may be two.

You will be asked how much you spent total (this is the entire bill) and how much you spent for YOUR meal. This is the first entrée ordered, a fountain beverage and the fries (or one order of fries if you got multiple) plus tax.

Thank you! I realize that it's only MY order I am dealing with, that I have to order first, and that they order after I'm finished ordering. But if the cashier sees that the people behind me are with me, doesn't offer the prompt, and doesn't start to total my order because there are others in my party, then I would have to be pro-active in asking for the item(s).

So, in lieu of the correct prompt, if I wait until the cashier tries taking my son's order, then I order the fries or drink, is that pretty much the same as waiting for my order to be totaled? IOW, when you are with other people, there is a potential situation not directly addressed in the guidelines, so it seems we have to use our judgement. I realize this probably won't happen, but anything is possible....

Why not make life easier for yourself? YOU place just YOUR order and pay for it by itself? Then have the other people if your party place their orders totally separate from yours. You have your own receipt for the shop and life is golden.

That's exactly what I keep thinking

Sybil2, that becomes truly awkward unless the shopper moves on away from the register and payment is then offered by someone else on the rest of the order.

BirdyC, it is not at the end of each entrée that they need to offer fries and a drink, but at the end of the total order if the customer did not voluntarily order fries and drinks. That is why I like to have my list of what everybody is having, put all that in myself and then see what is offered or not offered. Only on one occasion in all those shops has nothing been offered and only rarely is only one been offered. It is not something they miss on often.

@Flash wrote:

Sybil2, that becomes truly awkward unless the shopper moves on away from the register and payment is then offered by someone else on the rest of the order.

What? The shopper places her own order, completes the order and pays for the order. Then she walks away from the register to watch whatever she is supposed to watch, check the restroom or find a table to sit at. The rest of the people just place their own orders, complete their orders and pay for their orders. How is that truly awkward?

Note I said 'truly awkward unless' with precisely the information you suggest. It would be rather noticeable if the shopper obviously came in with his/her kids, bought their own meal and the rest of the folks were on their own. One way around it would be for each person to have their own gift card or for the shopper to come in and the spouse and kids come in separately. My system of only one person (me) doing the line while others gather condiments, peanuts, get a table and yes, watch for glove changes, works very well for us.

Since this is Birdy's first shop, having the rest of the family enter after she has placed her order and paid might be the best and offer less distractions.

Depending on the ages of the kid(s) involved, it could be a good teaching lesson for the kid(s) to learn how to place their own orders and manage money. The kid would be thrilled to have the opportunity to be a big girl or boy.

When I had friends or family I always just ordered my own food and paid for it. I let them know that they would be ordering behind me (and to please not out me as the mystery shopper - haha). Never had a problem and they always asked if I wanted fries so the upsale was pretty automatic. Watch the size of those fries - even a "little fry" is enough for 2 people. Oh I really miss the guys - love their burgers.

I always felt that it was OBVIOUS YOU ARE A SHOPPER, as you stand there feeling like a moron waiting for that upsell... Freddy's was like that too.

Thank you, all, for your input. It's especially helpful to know that they mean at the end of the total order, not just your own. I kept thinking the question pertained just to me, and figuring out how to make it "work" in case the cashier didn't do what she was supposed to! I was confused....

As it turned out, I didn't need to fret. The cashier, after I ordered my burger and fries, immediately offered the drink. But, I always try to be prepared in case some odd situation occurs. Like when I did a technology shop last week, and the salesperson knew nothing (and I mean nothing) about the products!

I think it's awkward if you go in with your family, and you order and pay for yourself, then leave everyone else on their own. Especially since I had to hang around the counter anyway to catch the kitchen observations. Why would a normal customer not simply place her or his order with those of the people she/he came with?

My kids know how to place and pay for orders, but, for exactly the reason that happened today, I let them place their own orders, but don't have them pay for them when we're together as a family. The family in front of us this afternoon left their youngest kid at the counter by himself to order and pay. Well, he got messed up placing the order and paying for it (not giving the cashier enough money to cover the cost), and by the time the cashier, one other crew member, and the kid finished straightening his order out, we had waited about five minutes at the counter. That's a long time to wait at a Five Guys at non-peak hours. I am NOT going to put other customers in that position! I can see my younger son doing exactly what the kid in front of us did. And I don't want to inconvenience anyone the way we were. It was pretty frustrating to wait that long in line for ONE customer ahead of us.

I'll pick a better time and place to give my kid practice in the social graces.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2016 11:15PM by BirdyC.

I used to do the Five Guys. Here's another suggestion. You order the family meals first and pay for them first. Second, you place your own order, wait for upsell and pay for your order by itself. Start the timing when you placed your individual order. That way, you can watch what was going on behind the counter and the kitchen staff. In your report, you can honestly say that there was X number of customers in line ahead of you.

@BirdyC wrote:

I think it's awkward if you go in with your family, and you order and pay for yourself, then leave everyone else on their own. Especially since I had to hang around the counter anyway to catch the kitchen observations. Why would a normal customer not simply place her or his order with those of the people she/he came with?

That is an easy question to answer. You send your family in ahead of you and let them do their thing. Or you go in first and do your thing. Couples, families, friends often meet at a dining establishment and arrive at different times. I do that with fine dining when a bar evaluation is required before dinner. It makes my life a lot easier.

One time I waited 30 seconds for the prompt for fries and a drink. We both just stood in silence and stared at each other.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2016 01:15AM by DavePi.

@Sybil2 wrote:

You send your family in ahead of you and let them do their thing. Or you go in first and do your thing. Couples, families, friends often meet at a dining establishment and arrive at different times. I do that with fine dining when a bar evaluation is required before dinner. It makes my life a lot easier.

Yes, I can see that if you and the family enter at different times, this makes sense. And would certainly make life easier!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2016 02:39AM by BirdyC.

DavePI--really? You waited an entire 30 seconds? That's really odd, and frankly, hard to believe. After about 5-10 seconds without the cashier suggesting anything, you should go ahead and place the rest of your order.

You must have somehow missed he is a troll in training

TIT.Heh.

@LisaSTL wrote:

You must have somehow missed he is a troll in training

He wishes he was a TIT, He has A LOT to learn to become a full-fledged bridge dweller. So far, I have not been impressed.

its easier to do separate orders...order and pay for yours separate..i have the experience MOST times that they do NOTHING...don't say anything, don't total it..and we just stand there.....which to any intelligent person would trigger the 'Mystery shopper is here' lightbulb..

i don't see why it would be awkward...of course the rest of the family pays on their own....if you are using one credit card...just secretly hand it off to someone else in the party....or maybe each person wants to order on their own so they all get their own bag.

and do not check the bathroom or find a table...you have to stay at the counter and watch and time

last i did this you CANNOT go ahead and order if the cashier doesn't say or do anything.

its not awkward for parents and older kids to order separate..and if they are younger kids..just use the excuse that each wants their own bag so you are making separate orders...or don't make it obvious that you are a parent and kids...maybe its the nanny and the kids...and mom only gave kids their money and nanny pays on he own..or maybe its just a family friend....people go to sit down restaurants and get separate checks...its not a big deal.

if you are ordering for your family, you cannot place their order 1st....the directions clearly state to place yours 1st (they do not differentiate if there are separate checks or not)

Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2016 03:17AM by jmitw.

@DavePi wrote:

One time I waited 30 seconds for the prompt for fries and a drink. We both just stood in silence and stared at each other.

Oh My! I hate those long pauses where you keep hoping they will say what they are supposed to say.

I thought about that too: You order and pay for your food. Then your friends and family do their ordering while you are doing your observing.

@DavePi wrote:

One time I waited 30 seconds for the prompt for fries and a drink. We both just stood in silence and stared at each other.

Come on Dave! 30 seconds is an eternity in line...

@jmitw wrote:

if you are ordering for your family, you cannot place their order 1st....the directions clearly state to place yours 1st (they do not differentiate if there are separate checks or not)

Yup! I know that, and I did that. The entire thing wasn't as confusing as I thought it might be, so having my family with me and ordering and paying all together wasn't an issue at all. I ordered first, then started my observations while the rest of them ordered behind me, and my husband paid at the end. I ordered my burger and the fries, cashier immediately asked if I wanted a drink. No problem. My worry was that the cashier wouldn't prompt for the third item as she was supposed to; then what? But that didn't happen.

And thanks again to all who gave input. Next time I'll know! (Of course, it helps when crew members do what they're supposed to!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2016 03:27PM by BirdyC.

I've taken my kids on shops where I can take others with me but only my order should be on the receipt, and it's never been awkward. If my 12 year old is with me I just give him the debit card or cash and let him take care of his own order, but there have been times where I've done my order, then done theirs separately, paying for each with the same card.

The MSC won't know if you had extra guests with you if you only submitted the receipt that contained your individual order.