Five Guys still around?
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@7star wrote:
No doubt we could probably do several per week but that is a lot of burger, fries, oil to consume. I guess we just take a few bites of the burgers/fries but most of the time the food is tasty.
Yep, no doubt that kind of diet would require major gym time to maintain any semblance of health. Not to mention, a lot of them require milk shakes! I had never actually counted the number of shops available in a month (not counting the numbers already scheduled, who knows how many?), it just surprised me when I did do the count.
Also to stay on point, what about the perception that this MSC does not like to receive bad reviews? I didn't see anywhere in the thread where the OP mentioned what was the reason for the low ratings given to the restaurant. If the ratings were legitimate, and to then get banned for a month because of it, I think that stinks.
proudly shopping in the D.
I haven't had any done yet with milkshakes although it did specify to do the shop with it. But the location didn't offer milkshakes. I would think the MSC would want an honest opinion. If there was something wrong with food or service then the client should want to know. I know I did report once the location didn't offer the additional side and the next time I went there they did, so that got fixed.
I've had a few small things come up doing Five Guys this week:
1. I shopped one the other day where the fries were way over-salted -- it tasted like there was twice as much salt as they normally put in (and they normally in plenty). It made their fries all but inedible. If I had been there as a normal consumer I would have asked for another batch, but I was hardly hungry -- just happened to be a bonused shop right by where I was that day. I put it in the report. It was approved, but we'll see if I get any blowback from it. Funny enough today I had the absolute best Five Guys fries I've ever had at a different location.
2. I love their "Coke Freestyle" soda machines which let you make any one of hundreds of different variations. It's pretty common to find a few flavors have run out -- we're talking less popular ones like Diet Barqs, not Coke or Sprite. I've never put this in a report but I would (and have) reported if a traditional soda fountain is missing one of its 5 options. Does that seem like the right approach?
1. I shopped one the other day where the fries were way over-salted -- it tasted like there was twice as much salt as they normally put in (and they normally in plenty). It made their fries all but inedible. If I had been there as a normal consumer I would have asked for another batch, but I was hardly hungry -- just happened to be a bonused shop right by where I was that day. I put it in the report. It was approved, but we'll see if I get any blowback from it. Funny enough today I had the absolute best Five Guys fries I've ever had at a different location.
2. I love their "Coke Freestyle" soda machines which let you make any one of hundreds of different variations. It's pretty common to find a few flavors have run out -- we're talking less popular ones like Diet Barqs, not Coke or Sprite. I've never put this in a report but I would (and have) reported if a traditional soda fountain is missing one of its 5 options. Does that seem like the right approach?
Sure, I would report something that is important, something that affects the customer experience. The soda machine missing a flavor would qualify and the over salted fries would count as well. MF shouldn't ding you for that.
I reported once that a crew member was goofing around and making noise while customers were eating. I've reported less than stellar food too.
I reported once that a crew member was goofing around and making noise while customers were eating. I've reported less than stellar food too.
The MSC does not reject shops or otherwise flag shoppers for reporting issues. I do feel that if any issues are reported, the shop sits in QC longer than average.
I have had perfect shops rejected over not checking the bathroom. I have reported cleanliness issues, unsatisfactory fries, even soggy buns... reported a manager that was overbearing, crew members eating outside food in the kitchen, customers eating outside food in the dining room: I still have full access and receive phone calls on a regular basis with bonus offers.
I have had perfect shops rejected over not checking the bathroom. I have reported cleanliness issues, unsatisfactory fries, even soggy buns... reported a manager that was overbearing, crew members eating outside food in the kitchen, customers eating outside food in the dining room: I still have full access and receive phone calls on a regular basis with bonus offers.
My posts are solely based on my opinions and for my entertainment, contact a professional if you need real advice.
When you get in debt you become a slave. - Andrew Jackson
When you get in debt you become a slave. - Andrew Jackson
I also have not had any shops rejected for a negative report, and I still get bonus offers on the phone and by email. However, the only shops I have had questioned were for a negative report. Not only for this client, but also for Mickey D's (when they had them) and Sonic. I've never had to put in a negative report for 5 Guys back to back. For the purpose of speculation, it might be helpful if the OP let us know how low the rating was, and how close the shops were together. I did go back and reread that they "screwed up" the order. How bad was the screw up? Based on personal experience and reading other threads, I just get the feel that this MSC only wants "good news". Maybe this thread can give us all a barometer on ratings.
proudly shopping in the D.
Oh also today there were none of the small cardboard containers for the self-help peanuts by the food pick-up area. I politely asked the team leader if they had any extra and he politely told me there might be some by the other container near the register (which there were). 30 minutes later there were still none for the food pick-up area. There's no reference to the peanuts in the report at all so when rating the staff I simply praised the team leader for being so helpful in telling me how I could get some of the peanuts even though the containers were missing. 
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2017 02:03AM by NinS.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2017 02:03AM by NinS.
I think you played it perfectly with the peanuts. I stick to the facts and report exactly what happens, according to only the questions I asked. I find the more I report, if not asked about it, could open it up to more unnecessary questions/scrutiny.
Have always thought the reports were the easiest and quickest to do of all various food shops I've done. Don't do them often, only when I get a craving for a good burger and spicy fries!
They are fairly quick reports - I tend to do the report while sitting there eating so when I leave, everything is done and reported. I do like that option of doing reports via my phone. Wish they all had that. My only issue - having to pick the time I ended the shop before actually ending it - and then making sure I leave at that time. I've got it down to a science now and know how long it will take me to input the shop on my phone and then get up and leave - so am quite accurate at determining what time to put down as the ending time. Although if something happens to disrupt that time frame, I just go back through the summary and change the shop end time before I submit it.
Absolutely. I don't do them for less then $14. If it is a little farther, I get $18-$20!
@gukka wrote:
Good for you, but in over a decade of shopping 5G, I have never seen anyone bring food (or anything else) to the tables. Not even once. If this happens to you, my guess is that the know you are the mystery shopper.
They deliver food to the customers at the locations in my area alot of the time, unless they are super busy, and they talk to customers in the dining room and ask if people need drink refills. And not just to me, to other people in the restaurant. And I only do the shops when they are bonused $18 or more, so I don't do very many. No way do they know I am the shopper.
@NinS wrote:
I've had a few small things come up doing Five Guys this week:
1. I shopped one the other day where the fries were way over-salted -- it tasted like there was twice as much salt as they normally put in (and they normally in plenty). It made their fries all but inedible. If I had been there as a normal consumer I would have asked for another batch, but I was hardly hungry -- just happened to be a bonused shop right by where I was that day. I put it in the report. It was approved, but we'll see if I get any blowback from it. Funny enough today I had the absolute best Five Guys fries I've ever had at a different location.
2. I love their "Coke Freestyle" soda machines which let you make any one of hundreds of different variations. It's pretty common to find a few flavors have run out -- we're talking less popular ones like Diet Barqs, not Coke or Sprite. I've never put this in a report but I would (and have) reported if a traditional soda fountain is missing one of its 5 options. Does that seem like the right approach?
I haven't done one in awhile, but I thought that if there was something wrong with your order you were supposed to have it corrected?
@JASFLALMT wrote:
@gukka wrote:
Good for you, but in over a decade of shopping 5G, I have never seen anyone bring food (or anything else) to the tables. Not even once. If this happens to you, my guess is that the know you are the mystery shopper.
They deliver food to the customers at the locations in my area alot of the time, unless they are super busy, and they talk to customers in the dining room and ask if people need drink refills. And not just to me, to other people in the restaurant. And I only do the shops when they are bonused $18 or more, so I don't do very many. No way do they know I am the shopper.
Trust me, they almost always know who the mystery shoppers are and can certainly discover your identity if they don't -- the stores have very clear videos of every second you are approaching, in, and departing the store. The only place you are not recorded is in a restroom. It's not challenging to match the time in, time out, transaction, and order numbers (all of which are on the report) to the store video.
All that being so, good for you for getting an $18 bonus and great service. $25 is usually the most that a shop will pay -- $6 shop fee and $19 bonus, so be sure to ask for your extra dollar next time they call.
@JASFLALMT wrote:
@NinS wrote:
I've had a few small things come up doing Five Guys this week:
1. I shopped one the other day where the fries were way over-salted -- it tasted like there was twice as much salt as they normally put in (and they normally in plenty). It made their fries all but inedible. If I had been there as a normal consumer I would have asked for another batch, but I was hardly hungry -- just happened to be a bonused shop right by where I was that day. I put it in the report. It was approved, but we'll see if I get any blowback from it. Funny enough today I had the absolute best Five Guys fries I've ever had at a different location.
2. I love their "Coke Freestyle" soda machines which let you make any one of hundreds of different variations. It's pretty common to find a few flavors have run out -- we're talking less popular ones like Diet Barqs, not Coke or Sprite. I've never put this in a report but I would (and have) reported if a traditional soda fountain is missing one of its 5 options. Does that seem like the right approach?
I haven't done one in awhile, but I thought that if there was something wrong with your order you were supposed to have it corrected?
One is supposed to have a botched order corrected, but how is one to know whether there is too much / little salt on the fries? It's completely subjective since the guidelines state fries are to be "well salted" whatever that means.
And, yes, one is supposed to report to the store crew that a beverage is out (unless it's available on another machine) and what action the crew took after the outage is reported, but it might be a bit challenging to test all 100+ combinations available on the Freestyle dispenser.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2017 06:29PM by gukka.
I've done them for $25 before, I am just saying $18 is the lowest I will go. And considering that I only do maybe 3 shops a year, I doubt they know who I am. They sure don't treat me any differently than they do everyone else, and they don't always do everything perfectly on my visits. There have been a few times where they weren't cleaning off the tables in a timely fashion, even when the location wasn't that busy.
I'd say that fries that were salted so heavily that they were nearly inedible if far from subjective.
@gukka wrote:
Good for you, but in over a decade of shopping 5G, I have never seen anyone bring food (or anything else) to the tables. Not even once. If this happens to you, my guess is that the know you are the mystery shopper.
I had lunch at 5G ealier this week in upstate NY (not known to be the friendliest place). I was not doing a shop and did not place am order that would have filled shop requirements. And she brought my food to the table.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
@JASFLALMT wrote:
I'd say that fries that were salted so heavily that they were nearly inedible if far from subjective.
Of course is it. Moreover, what do "so heavily," and "nearly inedible" mean? Some people can't stand salt and some salt everything. Some people can't taste salt at all.
@NinS wrote:
I've had a few small things come up doing Five Guys this week:
1. I shopped one the other day where the fries were way over-salted -- it tasted like there was twice as much salt as they normally put in (and they normally in plenty). It made their fries all but inedible. If I had been there as a normal consumer I would have asked for another batch, but I was hardly hungry -- just happened to be a bonused shop right by where I was that day. I put it in the report. It was approved, but we'll see if I get any blowback from it. Funny enough today I had the absolute best Five Guys fries I've ever had at a different location.
NinS had apparently eaten there plenty of times and knows what the fries are supposed to taste like when properly salted. I am sure that that she/he can stand salt just fine and can taste salt (read above). There is a question on the form that asks if the fries were well-salted, and if they put too much salt on them, they are not well-salted at all, they are overly salted. Too much salt is a botched job on the fries.
@JASFLALMT wrote:
@NinS wrote:
I've had a few small things come up doing Five Guys this week:
1. I shopped one the other day where the fries were way over-salted -- it tasted like there was twice as much salt as they normally put in (and they normally in plenty). It made their fries all but inedible. If I had been there as a normal consumer I would have asked for another batch, but I was hardly hungry -- just happened to be a bonused shop right by where I was that day. I put it in the report. It was approved, but we'll see if I get any blowback from it. Funny enough today I had the absolute best Five Guys fries I've ever had at a different location.
NinS had apparently eaten there plenty of times and knows what the fries are supposed to taste like when properly salted. I am sure that that she/he can stand salt just fine and can taste salt (read above). There is a question on the form that asks if the fries were well-salted, and if they put too much salt on them, they are not well-salted at all, they are overly salted. Too much salt is a botched job on the fries.
More subjectivity. All of it. But, if you opine that it isn't, then the overly salted fries should have been returned and as set forth in the shop guidelines and reported thereto.
Well for the question on the form where it asks if the fries were well-salted, what if they were undersalted, where one could not detect much salt, if any? They apparently want to know about it, subjective or not. I've never had an experience there where the fries were not properly salted so I haven't had to cross that bridge, but it's easy to add salt and then put it in the report if they weren't well-salted. Can't fix it yourself with overly salted fries, so yes, they should go back to be corrected. Just sayin'.
. Really?!? I wouldn't think this was allowed.@goodkitty wrote:
They are fairly quick reports - I tend to do the report while sitting there eating so when I leave, everything is done and reported. I do like that option of doing reports via my phone. Wish they all had that. My only issue - having to pick the time I ended the shop before actually ending it - and then making sure I leave at that time. I've got it down to a science now and know how long it will take me to input the shop on my phone and then get up and leave - so am quite accurate at determining what time to put down as the ending time. Although if something happens to disrupt that time frame, I just go back through the summary and change the shop end time before I submit it.
As jasflalmt said, if the fries generally taste ok i wouldn't comment out of the ordinary on it. I give them the benefit of the doubt. It's easy enough to get a salt packet there and season to your taste. I only report on obvious infractures.
@JASFLALMT wrote:
Well for the question on the form where it asks if the fries were well-salted, what if they were undersalted, where one could not detect much salt, if any? They apparently want to know about it, subjective or not. I've never had an experience there where the fries were not properly salted so I haven't had to cross that bridge, but it's easy to add salt and then put it in the report if they weren't well-salted. Can't fix it yourself with overly salted fries, so yes, they should go back to be corrected. Just sayin'.
You raise good points and questions. I don't think there are any better answers among us highly-compensated shoppers, but I wish there was more and better training and a taste training session with examples of properly and improperly prepared and seasoned 5G food.
After all, there is great detail in the guidelines about what constitutes a reportable grease stain near the entrance doors, as well as the indoor and outdoor lighting (but nothing about indoor temperature, music, or exhaust system issues)...
@AnneAshley wrote:
. Really?!? I wouldn't think this was allowed.@goodkitty wrote:
They are fairly quick reports - I tend to do the report while sitting there eating so when I leave, everything is done and reported. I do like that option of doing reports via my phone. Wish they all had that. My only issue - having to pick the time I ended the shop before actually ending it - and then making sure I leave at that time. I've got it down to a science now and know how long it will take me to input the shop on my phone and then get up and leave - so am quite accurate at determining what time to put down as the ending time. Although if something happens to disrupt that time frame, I just go back through the summary and change the shop end time before I submit it.
It's absolutely not allowed. If I recall correctly, the MSC has made it clear in the guidelines that shoppers are not supposed to be on their phone during the shop, and they don't mean talking on the phone, they mean looking at the phone to keep track of timings for the most part...so doing your report on the phone while you are in the location is an absolute faux pas.
@gukka wrote:
@JASFLALMT wrote:
Well for the question on the form where it asks if the fries were well-salted, what if they were undersalted, where one could not detect much salt, if any? They apparently want to know about it, subjective or not. I've never had an experience there where the fries were not properly salted so I haven't had to cross that bridge, but it's easy to add salt and then put it in the report if they weren't well-salted. Can't fix it yourself with overly salted fries, so yes, they should go back to be corrected. Just sayin'.
You raise good points and questions. I don't think there are any better answers among us highly-compensated shoppers, but I wish there was more and better training and a taste training session with examples of properly and improperly prepared and seasoned 5G food.
After all, there is great detail in the guidelines about what constitutes a reportable grease stain near the entrance doors, as well as the indoor and outdoor lighting (but nothing about indoor temperature, music, or exhaust system issues)...
gukka, I have been with this MSC since about 2002, only they had a different name back then. I used to get ridiculously high fees from them for the check cashing client that they used to have, as much as $100. They haven't offered bonuses like that in quite awhile in my area, though. I did manage to do a few audits recently for $80 each and I get $25-$35 bonuses regularly, and I get between $18-$25 bonuses for a Five Guys shop, not including the fee. That being said, they are still too cheap to ever spend the kind of money to do training sessions the way that Ardent does. And honestly, every single time I have eaten at 5 Guys I have had excellent food that was prepared properly. I think that NinS's experience was a rarity and is not the norm at all, so why would they bother when the majority of shoppers have good/great experiences?
I have seen any in a number of months, maybe because I did so many of these.
"Evolve thyself and lose all hate...." Orphaned Land
There's only one in my area and it closed 10 days ago for not paying their sales taxes... Oops. They collected sales tax but did not pay it... People showed up for work but the city had changed the locks!
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