Restaurant Shops

Hi Shoppers!

I have had a couple of clients reach out to me about re-starting shops in June. They are asking my opinion on whether or not shoppers will do restaurant shops at this point in time.

I wanted to put it out there to you guys. Can you respond and answer these questions?

1. What area of the country are you in (i.e. East Coast, West Coast, Mid West, South, etc. etc.)
2. Are you comfortable doing dine in restaurant shops at this point in time?
3. If no, what would make you finally comfortable doing them?

If you have any other comments, I am open to them! I'd like to give our clients good feedback on when we can start mystery shopping again.

Thanks in advance!

Lorri Kern
CEO
KSS International, Inc.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/2020 07:21PM by Lorri Kern KSS.

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Lori, I am in Northwest Ohio and have done three dine-in restaurant shops in the last week. We just opened up for dine in last week. I dine alone. These shops were a local chain and the dining area is very small--and quick-serve from the counter, not fine dining or somewhere where you stay an extended time and have a lot of interaction. They had social distancing questions included. I will not dine inside a restaurant that isn't set up for social distancing. I might even eat at a bar top, if there are 6 feet between me and the next customer. I would certainly eat out on the patio!

We do not have a high infection rate in my state, but my county is leading in deaths. There is not enough testing done for accurate statistics.

1-Southwestern quadrant of Ohio.
2-Yes

For me, it is all about the work:pay ratio. Before Corona, I regularly completed several fast casual eateries each month with only a $10 reimbursement and a $5 fee. The food was quite tasty, the report could be completed in 10 minutes, a guest was not required, no pics and I was given a two to four day window. Those conditions were so favorable, that pay arriving in 45 to 75 days was of zero concern to me.

I live in the South Florida area and the restaurants have reopened here. I do not recall what capacity they must have inside. For now, I would prefer to take out shops or shops with tables and fans outside. It's very hot here already and it would be brutal to sit outside without a fan. Social distancing would need to be a must.
Doing take out would be the best option for me now but so far, I have not seen any in my area.

1) Southeastern US, North and South Carolina
2) No, I’m not ready at this time.
3) I'm open to do curbside pickup, possibly patio dining. I don’t think I’ll be ready to do dine-in until there’s a proven vaccination for Covid19.

Typically, restaurant observations require interacting with others than the server. That could result in a lot of face time, with the greeter, manager, server, bartender, runner. Social distancing and masks make conversation difficult to understand.

A few restaurants I used to enjoy shopping have recently reopened. The shopping programs have just resumed. Two MSCs, so far, have added requirements to the assignment. Additional questions have been added to report restaurant compliance with Covid19. I noted there was no increase in fee. That’s never appreciated.

I'm in Colorado and I feel comfortable doing dine-in shops. Still, outdoor seating; masked servers; limits on the number of / spacing of guests would make me more comfortable.

Hi Lorri,

1-I live just North of West Palm Beach, FL.
2-I am not comfortable dining in a restaurant at this point.
3-I would be more comfortable dining in a restaurant if the Covid19 cases stopped rising. Hopefully, another 30 days will see a marked improvement.

Yes, I would like to start shopping again. I only perform casual and fine dining restaurants. At this point I would only be comfortable with takeout, curbside pickup or delivery.

BrendaInFL

I am in Texas and I would do a dine-in shop, but I would really love some take out shops.

I am in South Florida and will not resume dine in restaurant shops until there is a vaccine readily available.

My sense is that politics has gotten in the way of public transparency in just what the true situation is in my state. My sense is that too many people are just fatalistic about the virus and have abandoned masks, social distancing and other safeguards. What has not officially been opened has unofficially gone back into business full throttle with no legal repercussions. At this point I would not even be comfortable with outdoor dining and the quality of pick up food or delivered food is almost like eating leftovers from the fridge, so doing it as a shop is unfair to what is actually being prepared in the restaurant.

I am in Central Florida, close to Disney. I would not feel comfortable conducting a dine-in restaurant assignment at this time, and would probably not wish to do so until a vaccine was readily available. The requirements for interactions with multiple people--hostess, server, manager, bartender--offer too many opportunities for justifiable concerns.

I would have no issue with fast-casual curbside or carryout. I would be very leery of third-party delivery services.

Hi Lori ~ I am in the southwest and not considering dine-ins even though I am sick to death of my own cooking! A proven vaccine or treatment would definitely adjust my perception of eating out! Until then - nope not yet ready!

Once the riots and looting stop, I'm in.

Outside of Chicago here.
Until the virus greatly slows or stops plus the riots and looting stop I am not comfortable dining in a restaurant.
Curbside or carry out would be fine. Delivery only if it is reimbursed.

Hey Lori

Arkansas here.

I will do Curb Side or carry out and may be delivery. As far as dine in I am not sure.. Depends on the type of restaurant (Fast food - BK, McDonalds,) Causal -Applebee's TRH-) and if they are offering a full menu or not.

Hi Lorri,
I will be traveling through MO, IA, WI, NE, WY, MT to name a few and have no problem with dine in shops!

Thanks for checking!

Hi Lori, I am in Los Angeles and restaurants will be opening very soon. Like Florida this is a political decision as we have thousands of new cases per day in my county and we have been on a plateau for deaths for over a month which has gone down very, very little. We are definitely not on a down trajectory. So I would not do a dine in shop at a sit down restaurant until our numbers come down considerably. I would do curbside pickup.

I am in nyc metro area and would not eat in a restaurant unless it is fast casual or fast food with social distancing. No waiting in long lines or crowds. Delivery and take-out preferred.

1) Southern California
2) No
3) A lot more time. Perhaps months. When the new Ram/Charger football stadium is filled to capacity with fans then I will fill comfortable. Cases are rising and will continue to rise as social distancing has been abandoned by and large by the protesters. Additionally, as restrictions have loosened, people are breaking the guidelines. For example, the restaurants in Huntington Beach were jammed packed last weekend. You would have never been able to tell there was ever a pandemic. No distancing, no mask, no spacing. School is starting in a couple of months, and that's gonna create more problems. I will fill comfortable when that rate of infection is close to zero, or at the very least a 30 day proportionate reversal of the current trend. Dining in is a non essential activity I can live without.

I am on the seacoast of New Hampshire. Restaurants here are open for take out or outside dining only. I am not sure when they will be open for dine in. It will be quite a while before I am going to be comfortable eating inside a restaurant.

So Cal - not really sure as we were starting to reopen just as the riots started. I am thinking that I will probably not do in restaurant dining until the end of summer but will eat at an outdoor restaurant. I think you just have to do what you personally feel comfortable doing.

Northwest Indiana/ Chicago
Would love a dine in shop!

I've eaten out several times since restaurants have opened in Indiana.

San Diego Area
I would only feel comfortable doing a casual type dining restaurant with minimal staff interaction and if outdoor seating was available.

I’m in the Nashville area and it would really depend on the restaurant and how they’re handing social distancing right now.

I can also do Texas. Thanks and hope to hear from you soon

Kansas Oklahoma and Missouri I am game

1. Mountain West
2. Generally, yes.
3. My biggest fear is making a mistake and losing fee & reimbursement. This has never happened, but it is a stressor that i need to address-- by doing more restaurant shops.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

I'm in the St. Louis metro area. I would feel comfortable in a restaurant, but my partner is not on the same page yet, so I would have to eat alone.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

SoCal, Yes if single diner is allowed.

From Missouri, yes, I am ready for dine in or carry out!

1. Midwest
2. Not really, I would do carry out, drive up or drive thru
3. When the rates have slowed around the country not just in my area. It's summer, who knows where people have been. I've read that people are renting RVs now that their other vacations have been cancelled.

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