How Do You Take Menu Photos Without Being Obvious?
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I did that shop once. I asked the hostess if I could borrow the menu to take out to the car to show my mother (you could say grandmother if you are young), who can't get around too well. I took it out and took photos of it in the car and then took it back in. Make sure to ask if there is a kid' menu, too. Sometimes those are paper placemats or the prices might be in the main menu.
Ask for a menu, sit, and have a glass of water while you decide/ wait for your companion/tuck the menu under your arm and go to the restroom for pics. You can always make an excuse to take a powder after you get the pics - child is sick, companion cannot come, got a call from the office. . . . If in plain view, act like you're texting, mute your phone, turn off the flash, and click the menu. Similar, if it's a menu board. Of, If guidelines allow, ask for a to-go menu.
Taking a menu into the bathroom is gross.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2017 12:55AM by JASFLALMT.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2017 12:55AM by JASFLALMT.
Really I do not think of it that way, as I'm on a mission. For bar integrity shops, I have also taken a mixed drink to the restroom, poured out half or more of it, then returned to the bar to see if refill is offered.
It's not about you. It's about the people who come in after you did who might get that menu. It's bad enough that multiple people touch it before it gets wiped off (if that happens at all), but to take it in a place where there are toilets and body waste is disgusting.
Let's not veer into TMI. If I've touched anything, including the menu, I use soap/sanitizers, I also use a paper product, or my sleeve, if no paper is available, to open the door.
Still alive, have left no contagions in my wake
Still alive, have left no contagions in my wake
Okay Mert, please don't tell me you don't know that germs float in the air. Taking it into the restroom is exposing the menu to some really nasty germs that came from people excreting bodily waste. Nuff said.
FYI they ALL have instore video and are watching you take pics of outdoor Dt screens....
You can wear google glasses and just press a button discretely to take pictures. Google glasses are great for undercover agents, especially for me. I am kind of a spy in a way. don't tell anyone tho.
@CANADAMOMMY wrote:
FYI they ALL have instore video and are watching you take pics of outdoor Dt screens....
Some do and some don't; I worked for a BK, an Arby's, and a Hardees locally that didn't have video. I managed Hardees for a bit and out of 23 stores, only the larger city ones had the cameras outside. Everyone else was focusing on cameras pointed towards the registers to watch the day to day cash. But you are correct that some of them do have cameras inside.
I did one that didn't specify anything in the guidelines about how to get the photos so I flat out asked a manager if I could take a few photos of the menu board. She replied that I must be with the mystery shop company and even showed me how to turn the board to get the other side!
MegglesKat
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2017 05:46PM by clinen11.
Actually all three of those mentioned DO have video
@clinen11 wrote:
@CANADAMOMMY wrote:
FYI they ALL have instore video and are watching you take pics of outdoor Dt screens....
Some do and some don't; I worked for a BK, an Arby's, and a Hardees locally that didn't have video. I managed Hardees for a bit and out of 23 stores, only the larger city ones had the cameras outside. Everyone else was focusing on cameras pointed towards the registers to watch the day to day cash. But you are correct that some of them do have cameras inside.
I did one that didn't specify anything in the guidelines about how to get the photos so I flat out asked a manager if I could take a few photos of the menu board. She replied that I must be with the mystery shop company and even showed me how to turn the board to get the other side!
@CANADAMOMMY wrote:
Actually all three of those mentioned DO have video
@clinen11 wrote:
@CANADAMOMMY wrote:
FYI they ALL have instore video and are watching you take pics of outdoor Dt screens....
Some do and some don't; I worked for a BK, an Arby's, and a Hardees locally that didn't have video. I managed Hardees for a bit and out of 23 stores, only the larger city ones had the cameras outside. Everyone else was focusing on cameras pointed towards the registers to watch the day to day cash. But you are correct that some of them do have cameras inside.
I did one that didn't specify anything in the guidelines about how to get the photos so I flat out asked a manager if I could take a few photos of the menu board. She replied that I must be with the mystery shop company and even showed me how to turn the board to get the other side!
Again, locally, none of these stores had outside video. I was the assistant manager at BK and Arby's and the GM at Hardees. None of the stores had drive thru cameras and to this day, the Arby's nor the Hardees do. I'm unsure about the BK but that was my experience in my position. Your experience may be different, but having been the key holder at these three in my town I was very familiar with where our cameras were placed. If accidents happened in the drive thru, we didn't have cameras to provide footage.
MegglesKat
Look at the screens pretty obvious they do. And in this day and age video is ALL OVER
@clinen11 wrote:
@CANADAMOMMY wrote:
Actually all three of those mentioned DO have video
@clinen11 wrote:
@CANADAMOMMY wrote:
FYI they ALL have instore video and are watching you take pics of outdoor Dt screens....
Some do and some don't; I worked for a BK, an Arby's, and a Hardees locally that didn't have video. I managed Hardees for a bit and out of 23 stores, only the larger city ones had the cameras outside. Everyone else was focusing on cameras pointed towards the registers to watch the day to day cash. But you are correct that some of them do have cameras inside.
I did one that didn't specify anything in the guidelines about how to get the photos so I flat out asked a manager if I could take a few photos of the menu board. She replied that I must be with the mystery shop company and even showed me how to turn the board to get the other side!
Again, locally, none of these stores had outside video. I was the assistant manager at BK and Arby's and the GM at Hardees. None of the stores had drive thru cameras and to this day, the Arby's nor the Hardees do. I'm unsure about the BK but that was my experience in my position. Your experience may be different, but having been the key holder at these three in my town I was very familiar with where our cameras were placed. If accidents happened in the drive thru, we didn't have cameras to provide footage.
I'm not trying to argue with you, I'm just stating my personal experience in my home town as having been the manager at Arbys for a year, the manager at Burger King for three years, and the General Manager at Hardees for four years. None of the restaurants I worked at had anything digital and the Hardees and Arbys are still non-digital without outdoor cameras. I only left Hardees completely in October so I doubt they suddenly installed outdoor cameras. Everything was manual menu boards with plastic inserts. One of the stores had no cameras whatsoever, another only had one in the managers office, and the rest had cameras at the cash registers. It's just an experience thing in my area that I have known. Yours is probably different. I've stated multiple times this was my local experience and not some national conspiracy... -_-
MegglesKat
Hey, you all are not familiar with the assignment that the OP is referring to. I have done this assignment, it is not a fast food restaurant. These are assignments where they want the evaluator to go inside of a sit-down restaurant and get photos of the menu. There generally isn't a menu board anywhere and there is no drive-thru, so your arguments about taking exterior photos is moot. I know the assigments in which you are referring to, and the one that was being discussed by the OP is not one of those.
there are BOTH shops out there JASFLALMT so NOT a moot point
I was just making a statement in general that not everyone is watching you more than likely, there's a camera within 20 yards of you at all times, but that aside I've done some of the menu inside audits. Especially the alcohol ones. I did a ton of those at the beach which were pretty fun. Strange that someone is willing to pay $7-$18 for a person to snap a picture of the liquor menu just to see if it contains prices or not! I guess it's something to do with letting the customer know the price before they buy?
more than likely, there's a camera within 20 yards of you at all times, but that aside I've done some of the menu inside audits. Especially the alcohol ones. I did a ton of those at the beach which were pretty fun. Strange that someone is willing to pay $7-$18 for a person to snap a picture of the liquor menu just to see if it contains prices or not! I guess it's something to do with letting the customer know the price before they buy?MegglesKat
It's true that those other cheap and worthless shops are in existence, and they are the ones that no one in their right mind would waste time on. The one that the OP inquired about is NOT one of those. It's something completely different. So go ahead and hijack her thread to argue about something she didn't ask about.
I wasn't referring to your alcohol menu photos when I said cheap and worthless shops, clinen, LOL.
I have a digital recording app on my phone that allows me to record video and take picture snap shots from the video. That's been pretty helpful with some of the sneakier photos. I can also use it when I have to get counter and display photos. You just pause where you want to get a snapshot and take a picture from the video and download to your device. It came pre installed on my Huawei as part of the camera feature so unsure what else is out there to download similarly.
MegglesKat
@JASFLALMT wrote:
I wasn't referring to your alcohol menu photos when I said cheap and worthless shops, clinen, LOL.
Hey, someone found them valuable enough to pay up to $18 for them. Easy money when there's a bar or alcohol establishment on every corner of every block on the coast! The apps for smart phones are insane now-a-days so getting stealth photos are easier than ever.
MegglesKat
It sounds neat clinen, wish they had some of those here. The cheap and worthless shops I was referring to is the one where you risk getting run over by a hungry person texting on their phone behind the wheel while you are trying to snap a drive-thru menu photo for $7 or whatever the going rate is these days.
I think they were up to $15 in my area because no one wants them.
If you're "waiting on someone" it might help to even throw out a name for the person you're waiting on and ask if you could just sit at the bar seating until he or she gets there. I've sat at the bar many times sipping water and "texting". I suppose you'd need to make sure you meet the age requirements, of course! I know not all shoppers are 21.
If you're "waiting on someone" it might help to even throw out a name for the person you're waiting on and ask if you could just sit at the bar seating until he or she gets there. I've sat at the bar many times sipping water and "texting". I suppose you'd need to make sure you meet the age requirements, of course! I know not all shoppers are 21.
MegglesKat
Actually clinen, you are on the younger scale for shoppers and I'd say there's a teeny tiny percentage of shoppers under 21.
For the OP, getting the menu photos won't be that difficult. Like you said, it's easy enough to sneak a photo while sitting down at the table pretending you are texting and sipping on some water while waiting for "Heather" or "Mark" to show up. The locations I visited did not have a bar and were focused on the food. At the one breakfast place where I went, the dining room was full and that's why I chose to say I wanted to show the menu to my mom and took it out to the car. The other times it was not busy and I just sat down and snapped some quick photos, pretended I got a text from my friend that she couldn't make it, and left. These paid $15 each and were quite easy. It's good to have an arsenal of scenarios to choose from before going since you never know what you're going to find when you get there.
For the OP, getting the menu photos won't be that difficult. Like you said, it's easy enough to sneak a photo while sitting down at the table pretending you are texting and sipping on some water while waiting for "Heather" or "Mark" to show up. The locations I visited did not have a bar and were focused on the food. At the one breakfast place where I went, the dining room was full and that's why I chose to say I wanted to show the menu to my mom and took it out to the car. The other times it was not busy and I just sat down and snapped some quick photos, pretended I got a text from my friend that she couldn't make it, and left. These paid $15 each and were quite easy. It's good to have an arsenal of scenarios to choose from before going since you never know what you're going to find when you get there.
I have an idea, why don't you just say that you have a spouse/parent on bed rest and you want to show them pictures of the menu so they can decide? Sometimes obvious entertainment is best. 
We do something called Geocaching in our spare time that involves finding hidden objects, boxes, containers, etc at certain GPS coordinates. I've learned that often times, the more obvious you are in your motions and actions, the less you're noticed. It's when you start to look around and worry that makes people look back.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2017 10:18PM by clinen11.
MegglesKat
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2017 10:18PM by clinen11.
Whenever I see people wandering about aimlessly in a parking lot I wonder if they are Geocaching. When I am Geocaching I do a lot of back and forth, looking up at the trees and underneath bushes. As far as the menu audit I really hated that shop. The menu's were 10 pages each and there were 2 of them. I nursed that cup of coffee for about 20 minutes and then was pretty much asked to leave. Never again.
I just send in the drones when I want menu photos. They are practically the norm now.
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