Am I the only one who thinks this when it comes to reimbursement only dining shops?
Excluding Texas Roadhouse (enjoyable food/experience + manageable report) and Chili's (super short report), I find most dining shops not worthwhile. 95% of them are reimbursement only and often cannot be done for another three months (which means you have to relearn/double-check the guidelines 3 months later).
The amount of work can be brutal and not worth it to me. One hour of preparation studying the guidelines (unless it's one you've memorized), because you know any mistake might get your report rejected. Often each restaurant has their own little quirky questions/requirements, so it's a constant learning/relearning of unique guidelines (plus the usual stuff for these types of shops).
While you are dining, you don't really get to fully enjoy the experience, because you're so focused on observing, timing, and recording things, while trying to "act" normal. The value of the reimbursement almost never allows you to order the "better" (often more expensive) items on the menu and you come away with the "lower" grade meals (like a generic cheap chicken sandwich you could get anywhere, instead of that lobster roll on the upper end of the menu) if you want to come in under reimbursement and not have to pay out-of-pocket. After the stressful "cheapo" meal that you barely enjoyed, due to having to "work" the shop, you have to rush home to write up a lengthy narrative-filled report.
A one-hour dining shop that is recorded usually = about two hours of replaying the audio file to double-check timings and observation accuracies. That's due to all the pausing of the audio, taking notes, and sometimes struggling to decipher what was said (if lots of heavy background noise). It can be frustrating replaying the same section of audio over and over to get your needed timing or observation.
Narratives comments often require personal reflection that takes time to sit back, think, and then write about. It's like essay writing!
No fee means gas mileage is not covered, so you are often out $5-10 for mileage. The "free" meal is you agreeing to pay for it and have it reimbursed two months (45-60 days later - while the client can essentially "float" your money and do whatever they want with it) later, having spent time (often hours of work) and mileage for what was likely mediocre food. Ummm, I could just take the $5-10 mileage and buy Chick-Fil-A (probably better tasting too! than the cheap chicken sandwich you'll likely be forced to order to stay under reimbursement) or the like and save the time/hassle of doing a detailed narrative report and stressful dining observations (that might get rejected for any small mistake based on the whims of the editor) and I'd be even, right?
Feeling snarky tonight and wanting to vent. But, I am also serious too.
Anyone else feel this way about reimbursement-only restaurant shops? I don't think I'll ever do these EVER again (aside from a few faves of mine). They are a rip-off and I always feel like a SLAVE afterwards.
*end rant* lol
Edited 11 time(s). Last edit at 11/14/2018 08:09AM by shoptastic.