Ten names at restaurant?!?

I should have read the guidelines before I agreed to take this shop.

I am supposed to go to a restaurant, $100 for dinner, where EVERY name and description is required for the report.

Every host/hostess- the one who greets you, the one who takes you to your table
Every server/food runner- I was told there can be three or more, names of even the food runners
Every bartender- there can be three

I have done lots of jobs for this MSC and never had requirements like this. I sent an email making sure I read the guidelines correctly. The advice was, "just ask them their names."

I feel like this would instantly identify me as a shopper. I don't want to complete this shop, but cancelling with this MSC seriously hurts your rating supposedly. They are also fast to throw out reports.

I think I will not be able to do this and I think the report will not be accepted and I will be out $100.

What would you do? Right now, my plan is to go and do the best I can, but my expectations are not great.

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I don't do these assignments, but....If you are going with somebody, have that person help gather names. Take notes on your phone - from the restroom if you must.... Come up with reasons to visit folks whose names you did not get. Ask the hostess the restaurant hours. Ask the bartenders if they have XYZ brand vodka, whatever.

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

They don't wear name tags. So just go ask them their names? I could do what you suggest, but then how would I justify asking them for their names?

I might be willing to take my first cancellation with this company. I think it won't get accepted anyway. Ugh.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2019 02:01PM by Niner.

Yes... That's brutal, though. Thank them by name, but get confused. They'll generally give them your name... Bartenders are naturally chatty and exchanging names is normal....

However.... There are reasons I don't do these assignments.

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

I never did one like this before. I would not have taken it. I have done maybe 100-150 restaurant shops and this is entirely new to me.

Several years ago, a now defunct MSC had shops at Abuelo's Mexican eatery. The pay was a flat $40, which brought the fee in at approx. $18, and a guest was not required. In addition, the rotation was only 30 days, I was given a week to schedule the work and could either go for lunch or dinner. The ONLY drawback was the need to obtain four names, as tags were not used by the staff. A few years later, I encountered the manager and learned what I had suspected; the staff knew I was a shopper. It is my opinion the average diner does not ask several workers for their names. My position was that were I to be outed, that would be on the MSC and/or the client for imposing such a ridiculous requirement.

Last night, we needed to get the name of the hostess who sat us. That outed us. We got the best service we have ever gotten at that restaurant though! This is ten or more names. There is literally a separate section for names on the report that is like "host #1, host #2, host #3, host #4," just for names and their descriptions. What could the possibly have been thinking?!?

(Typing on my phone is fascinating...edit #?)

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2019 03:04PM by Niner.

I do many restaurants and have never seen one like this....seems a setup for failure, skip one name and they have reason to not pay. I'd pass, just doesn't seem like you'd look as though your a normal customer. My jobs Host/Hostess don't wear name tags.

Live consciously....

10 names is absolutely ridiculous. I guess you can do it if you plan not to shop there again as a mystery shopper. If you decide to that then just ask for their names, if they decline, report it as such. Just make sure the msc agrees with that.

I shop a lot of fine dining restaurants in this area. I also don't want one experience to possibly out me. I am pretty recognizable and could be easily described. I do like this company, but I am leaning towards cancelling. I sent them an email earlier and hope to hear back. I asked if I was expected to get the names of the four hostesses, three bartenders, etc, even if I do not interact with them. I do not think I can do this. Could you imagine going up to the host/hostess podium and asking each person for their name? There is no rational reason for doing this.

This restaurant is in a highly popular area with a cluster of restaurants/high end stores that I shop for this company and for other companies.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2019 04:52PM by Niner.

I wouldn't go and ask for peoples names if I didn't have a reason to interact with them. The MSC should understand that. Maybe you can get them to agree to settle for a description only for the people you don't interact with.
Hope you can get out of it.
Let us know what happens.

@Niner this sounds like the strip joint fiasco someone posted about in the last year or so. Getting names of strippers who don't wear tags, having to ask, getting a pic of the building, receipts...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2019 06:28PM by nslinhar.

Since the restaurant was not named in the thread, what company requires these c=sill requirements?

I'd rather not mention them. The requirements are different for just about every restaurant they have. They are otherwise fair and are a great company.

Restaurant staff typically flock to the same bars after a shift. If you shop multiple restaurants near to one another and are recognizable, word could spread fast. Staff love to chat/rumor/gripe about the good and bad patrons and the "night they just had". 10 years hospitality, here.

Exactly.

I would record the shop if it's legal in your shop. Hopefully some of them are wearing a name tag and you can thank them by name for sitting you, etc. On second thought, I would wear my camera so I would be sure to have accurate descriptions.

Shopping up and down the Colorado Rocky Mountain front range.

Oh, NO! I would cancel the shop.

It is perfectly within reason to tip any restaurant staff member, front to back of house. It happens more often than most think. You could say to your server, "The hostess/busser/barback/line cook did such a great job at (insert task here), I would like to give them a tip. May I have their name?" Toss a couple of bucks their way, if allowed by MSC. Or don't and leave with your intel.

That would be pretty funny handing money to the four hostesses

Maybe we would get a great table.

I am weighing
(1) Cancel and have my rating go down, not get assigned shops
(2) Go, not get the report accepted, pay $100, or by some 10% chance get it accepted with the names I can manage to find out

The MSC has not gotten back to me about my email.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2019 07:33PM by Niner.

Good luck to you, regarding it all. Including clarification from the MSC.

Front or back of the house. Here you go. Now give me names of all the hostesses, food runners and bartenders on duty tonight. I would love to give them all a tip. I can see if for one or two people, but in this case, you've got a boatload. I have never, ever seen this requirement in all my years of fine dining. Might this be Coyle and they want to test or authenticate you for some reason or other? My advice is to cancel and READ very carefully before you accept next time. It is frustrating when they do not get back to you. Good luck and I hope this works out for you.

@Niner wrote:

That would be pretty funny handing money to the four hostesses

Maybe we would get a great table.

I am weighing
(1) Cancel and have my rating go down, not get assigned shops
(2) Go, not get the report accepted, pay $100, or by some 10% chance get it accepted with the names I can manage to find out

The MSC has not gotten back to me about my email.

"Front or back of the house. Here you go. Now give me names of all the hostesses, food runners and bartenders on duty tonight."

I've seen it happen, on more than one occasion. Lonely, wealthy man spreads around cash because he can. Someone trying to get great service for the next time they bring in their buddies to impress. Becomes a regular because he gets treated like a king because he pays for it. Tips *all* the hostesses because he wants the best table when he comes in next time. Wants the chef to make him something not on the menu, on demand.

@Madetoshop wrote:

Front or back of the house. Here you go. Now give me names of all the hostesses, food runners and bartenders on duty tonight. I would love to give them all a tip. I can see if for one or two people, but in this case, you've got a boatload. I have never, ever seen this requirement in all my years of fine dining. Might this be Coyle and they want to test or authenticate you for some reason or other? My advice is to cancel and READ very carefully before you accept next time. It is frustrating when they do not get back to you. Good luck and I hope this works out for you.

@Niner wrote:

That would be pretty funny handing money to the four hostesses

Maybe we would get a great table.

I am weighing
(1) Cancel and have my rating go down, not get assigned shops
(2) Go, not get the report accepted, pay $100, or by some 10% chance get it accepted with the names I can manage to find out

The MSC has not gotten back to me about my email.

NOT Coyle. The reports may take me hours, but they do not require names. They actually say something like asking for names will out you as a shopper.

@nslinhar wrote:

"Front or back of the house. Here you go. Now give me names of all the hostesses, food runners and bartenders on duty tonight."

I've seen it happen, on more than one occasion. Lonely, wealthy man spreads around cash because he can. Someone trying to get great service for the next time they bring in their buddies to impress. Becomes a regular because he gets treated like a king because he pays for it. Tips *all* the hostesses because he wants the best table when he comes in next time. Wants the chef to make him something not on the menu, on demand.

I am already not getting paid a fee for this though.

Yeah, no need to put yourself in the hole if you don't have to. You don't strike me as that type of restaurant patron anyway. Again, good luck.

Just tell the scheduler the truth. Tell them what you told us. Put in Urgent ! Or tell them you are sick with the flu and couldn't possible go out to eat, your sorry and can not re-schedule at this time. Just don't take on another restaurant for a while. I have never had to lie to my schedulers, but your circumstances may warrant this.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2019 09:56PM by shopper8.

I think I will just try my best. I don't know what a rejected shop would look like compared to a dropped shop. I wish they would return my email. Out of all of the shops I have completed, they rejected one because I missed one out of six or so required pictures.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2019 10:02PM by Niner.

@Niner wrote:

I think I will just try my best. I don't know what a rejected shop would look like compared to a dropped shop. I wish they would return my email. Out of all of the shops I have completed, they rejected one because I missed one out of six or so required pictures.

Just from a basic business perspective, dropping the shop puts them in a better position than having to reject the shop. If you drop the shop tonight, they know *now* that they need another shopper to fill it. But, if you do the shop for it to ultimately get rejected, it could take a few days for them to figure that out. Not to mention that they have to sink labor hours into reading it and rejecting it instead of just rescheduling it. I'm not telling you what you should do, but that is something to consider.

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Ten names at restaurant?!?

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