Had an interesting restaurant shop

I was doing a restaurant shop last week, dining alone. Half way through my meal, I went to the restroom.I wasn't gone long. When I came back, my coke and silverware was missing and a towel was on the table next to my table. I think they were a little too quick on cleaning up. It was an honest mistake, but did have to include it in my report. The staff did bring me another coke and silverware.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2023 09:00PM by johnb974.

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This must have been a sit down restaurant.

Why did you have to include the report that the bust person/ server cleaned off the table before you were finished.

Did you take the require pictures of the food?

@Isaiah4031a wrote:

This must have been a sit down restaurant.

Why did you have to include the report that the bust person/ server cleaned off the table before you were finished.

Did you take the require pictures of the food?

If I was halfway through my meal and went to check the men's room, I would definitely report that they had bussed my table while I was away.

I want to know if they were "halfway through their meal" if they were finished with their entrée and sides and the only thing left on the table was a glass, an empty plate and silverware. If they brought them new silverware and a new drink, it sounds like they weren't through with what was on the missing plate, but they didn't say anything about the food.

If not, did they get a new meal or what happened after.

@Isaiah4031a wrote:

Why did you have to include the report that the bust person/ server cleaned off the table before you were finished.

Did you take the require pictures of the food?

Yours is an odd post. Why WOULDN'T you include the fact that items were taken away before you were finished??? It's part of the experience. Also, why assume that the shopper was required to take pictures of their food? Most sit-down or fine dining shops I've done never require that.

Do you only do fast food shops?

I'd considered this very thing happening. This is especially true for FG -where you're not supposed to visit the restroom after ordering but before eating. So as soon as my food arrives I like to go wash my hands and check things out. I'd considered in CA someone running off with my food or maybe a server trashing it. But I figured that too little time would pass for that.

@Tanischri87 wrote:

This is especially true for FG -where you're not supposed to visit the restroom after ordering but before eating. So as soon as my food arrives I like to go wash my hands and check things out.

Maybe it's been a while since I've done and read the 5G shop guidelines, but I don't think they say you have to visit the restroom before eating. Perhaps its something you do before touching fries with unwashed hands.

I've never done that. I've always visited the restroom AFTER eating the greasy fries to clean my hands of the grease. I usually leave my meal, bag and drink on the table when I do this. I use sanitizer before entering the restaurant.

Granted, I'm not in SoCal.

@shopnyc wrote:

Do you only do fast food shops?

No, I have done many type of shops.

On a single person shop at Longhorn Steakhouse in 2006, when I returned from using the men's room, my booth had been cleared of dinner and two strangers were seated. I summoned the manager, who naturally apologized and comped me a two party dinner for my next visit. I noted his courtesy in my report.

@wrosie wrote:

@Tanischri87 wrote:

This is especially true for FG -where you're not supposed to visit the restroom after ordering but before eating. So as soon as my food arrives I like to go wash my hands and check things out.

Maybe it's been a while since I've done and read the 5G shop guidelines, but I don't think they say you have to visit the restroom before eating. Perhaps its something you do before touching fries with unwashed hands.

I've never done that. I've always visited the restroom AFTER eating the greasy fries to clean my hands of the grease. I usually leave my meal, bag and drink on the table when I do this. I use sanitizer before entering the restaurant.

Granted, I'm not in SoCal.

I guess depending on the shop, you have to visit the restroom before you order.

Several years ago, I did a Five Guys shop and I visited the restroom before I order my meal... Then after I eat my meal, (I left my drink and bag of peanuts on the table) and I went back to the bathroom .

@shopperbob wrote:

On a single person shop at Longhorn Steakhouse in 2006, when I returned from using the men's room, my booth had been cleared of dinner and two strangers were seated. I summoned the manager, who naturally apologized and comped me a two party dinner for my next visit. I noted his courtesy in my report.

I love Loghorn Steakhouse... It is not as noisy as the Texas Road House.

One reason for telling them, they would see in all happen on the video. They ask you to describe what you were wearing. They want to know about your whole experience.

I try not to leave my table when the food is there. But if I do, I leave my jacket, I leave a book or magazine or paper and pen, something on the table to show I'm still not done.

I have done the same thing prince

I cannot remember a guideline that says at what point I have to check the restroom. I really could care less if they say to check it first, last or in the middle. I check it when I want to. The point is the restroom is checked. Does it really matter if it was at the beginning or end of your visit?

Now, for restaurants (not fast food like 5g), i will check 2x if the first visit was dirty. So I wait for server to take order and then check restroom. Clean and stocked = 1 visit. If it's not stocked or needs attention, I will visit again before leaving just to see if it was ever addressed during my visit.

I'm not doing that for a 5g, panda express, sonic, etc. It is1 visit and it is when I want it to be. If an MSC wants to reject a shop at a fast casual place because I checked the bathroom when I wanted and not when they said, then I will pull a @shopperbob to them and terminate the relationship.

Bigdaddy, I commend you on giving the restaurants a benefit of a doubt. But as you indicated, they don't pay us enough to check to see if corrections have been made. UNLESS, the shop asks you to bring the violation to someone's attention and then see if it's been resolved. I do believe I have done some shops where you have to say something is wrong. Whether it is for the report or just to fix the problem for that day.

The reason I'm willing to check more than 1x when doing a restaurant, is that I want to see if they correct it (curiosity). I know I don't have to go back and check again, but I don' t mind doing so. I will comment that it was dirty the first time and then it was corrected at some point or it was worse when I checked again. I don't really think it's that hard for me to do it.

@wrosie wrote:

Bigdaddy, I commend you on giving the restaurants a benefit of a doubt. But as you indicated, they don't pay us enough to check to see if corrections have been made. UNLESS, the shop asks you to bring the violation to someone's attention and then see if it's been resolved. I do believe I have done some shops where you have to say something is wrong. Whether it is for the report or just to fix the problem for that day.

The OP did not mention this was at 5G and also did not say it was a required restroom visit. Maybe my shops are different as they always require a restroom visit but that is really immaterial. I also do fine dining (or what I call fine dining, did one where my bill was $150 the other day, and yes, I had to take photos of the food. ) If someone leaves with no trace that they are coming back I am not surprised the table was cleared. I see people leave all the time with an almost full plate of food on the table. I always feel I should just eat theirs and not bother to pay for another meal but I restrain myself. Most sit down restaurants I shop ask me to make sure all surrounding tables are cleared and reset within two minutes. I would think a restroom visit could easily take at least 2 minutes so they are just doing their jobs.

This was not a 5G and you are required to check the restroom. I had to go anyway. For this restaurant they will be watching the video and will see what happened. My lunch was over $50. It was a nice restaurant.

@ Sandy. I have seen that also... A while back, the wife and I were out to eat someplace (Non shop) and noticed a another couple left half their food..

We were seated across from another couple and as the hostess sat us, the server was at their table..

We were there about 10 minutes then they left..

I guess if you are leaving for the restroom and have nothing to leave on the table to signify you are returning you can take one of those BE RIGHT BACK signs next time you eat at a buffet and carry it with you to all your food shops.
I once left my husband at the table to hold it and instructed him to make sure they did not take away my fries. It was a full portion as I ate his first. He was not a good mystery shop guest as he never paid attention but he did enjoy the free food. . He was chatting with the people at the next table and claimed he did not notice them clear everything away.

@Isaiah4031a wrote:

@ Sandy. I have seen that also... A while back, the wife and I were out to eat someplace (Non shop) and noticed a another couple left half their food..

We were seated across from another couple and as the hostess sat us, the server was at their table..

We were there about 10 minutes then they left..

Over the years, I have had it happen enough times that if I have to visit the restroom before I am finished with the meal, I will tell the server that I will be right back. You can also ask where the restroom is, that alerts them that you have not left. I generally look around and do what seems reasonable at the time to make sure my food is still there when I get back, but I give on some of the fast-food places, and I generally go after the meal for them. Such is an ongoing issue for solo diners.

How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg?
"Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."
-- Abraham Lincoln

@sandyf wrote:

I guess if you are leaving for the restroom and have nothing to leave on the table to signify you are returning you can take one of those BE RIGHT BACK signs next time you eat at a buffet and carry it with you to all your food shops.
I once left my husband at the table to hold it and instructed him to make sure they did not take away my fries. It was a full portion as I ate his first. He was not a good mystery shop guest as he never paid attention but he did enjoy the free food. . He was chatting with the people at the next table and claimed he did not notice them clear everything away.

@Isaiah4031a wrote:

@ Sandy. I have seen that also... A while back, the wife and I were out to eat someplace (Non shop) and noticed a another couple left half their food..

We were seated across from another couple and as the hostess sat us, the server was at their table..

We were there about 10 minutes then they left..

If I had a spouse who did that, I would leave them at home for any mystery shops. He was chatting and didn't see them take your fries?

John, he had many other endearing qualities which would want me to treat him to a great dinner rather than take a friend over and over and leave him home to eat hot dogs. But things like this can be the downside when you have a family full of people with ADD.

@sandyf wrote:

John, he had many other endearing qualities which would want me to treat him to a great dinner rather than take a friend over and over and leave him home to eat hot dogs. But things like this can be the downside when you have a family full of people with ADD.

If there's more people at the table, have someone else watch your meal.

You can always bring a sweater or jacket and a book with you. Leave the garment on the chair and the book on the table. That should make it very obvious that you haven't left.

That is the best idea yet, @shopnyc. Of all the times I pack a book, I never even considered it on a mystery shop. That should solve the problem nicely though.

How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg?
"Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."
-- Abraham Lincoln

I still had half my pasta, half my egg rolls and almost all of my coke on the table.

I also have feared that happening to me when I dine alone. If I have anything I can leave, (coat, hat, book) I make sure it's prominently displayed, but don't always have something with me in the summer. I may have to make one of those, "Be back later" signs.

@DRJ wrote:

I also have feared that happening to me when I dine alone. If I have anything I can leave, (coat, hat, book) I make sure it's prominently displayed, but don't always have something with me in the summer. I may have to make one of those, "Be back later" signs.

Or keep a little kit in your car, with a lightweight cardigan, hat, notebook, pen, and book. Then you'll always be ready.

Good idea.

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