Ardent was the first MSC I signed with, and I've been shopping for them for nearly 3 1/2 years. But I'm done. I've been unhappy with them for a long time, for many reasons. They used to be my favorite MSC, and they used to be pretty professional. But I think they've gone downhill. The new report and new shopper notes have egregious spelling and grammar mistakes (more than most, when those used to be fewer than most), which they steadfastly refuse to correct. Such as "neckeless" (OMG). They want meticulous writing by their shoppers, but don't care enough to make sure their own materials are correct. I, personally, think this shows a lack of respect for shoppers. I expect that from several MSCs, but not Ardent.

The food at the restaurants has gone downhill, the report is still unwieldy (even if much shorter), and the net $15 or so I make isn't worth the time the entire shop takes. When the food was great, it was, but with mediocre food as of late, it's not.

Anyway, not to blather on, but I found out that my scheduler is no longer there. She's the only (and I mean it) reason I've continued shopping for them. She was wonderful, and I often would do a shop as a favor to her. With her gone, I have no incentive to continue working for them.

I'm sad about this, because I don't think I'd be a shopper today if they hadn't contacted me way back when. (Whether that's good or bad, I'm sometimes not sure! )

I actually like the reports now that they are shorter. I do wish we could do away with the phone call portion, and that we didn't have to stay there an entire 30 minutes. I feel the pay is fair, and I like the food, so I'll continue to shop for them.

Wow Birdy, I am sorry to hear that. I get that the OCD editor in you can't stand sloppiness like misspelled words when an MSC holds us to such high standards. Did you email anyone (like Corey or Tracey) to tell them how you feel?

I emailed a couple of different people at Ardent 2 years ago about issues like this and never heard back from anyone. I don't think they like being called out (or any companies for that matter)

@DareWright wrote:

I actually like the reports now that they are shorter. I do wish we could do away with the phone call portion, and that we didn't have to stay there an entire 30 minutes. I feel the pay is fair, and I like the food, so I'll continue to shop for them.

I certainly like the new report better than the old one! But they still haven't fixed some of the questions that are needlessly redundant; e.g., if there's nobody at a certain position, you answer "no" but still have to put something in comments or you get a flag; that's true with several other questions, too. I don't understand why they can't be bothered to fix that!

I agree about the phone call; seems like a waste of time. Between that, the 30-minute requirement, the sometimes ridiculous KQs, and the time it takes to input the report (about 25 minutes for a "good" shop, but I've had some bad shops lately and have spent at least 45 minutes), it's not worth it to me. Too much time, too much aggravation. I don't make enough net profit unless I order plain water to drink. I'd rather eat there on my own dime....

Almost all the locations here have gone downhill in quality. The chips aren't anywhere near as good as they used to be, and I've encountered several unhappy crew members. It's not pleasant. Maybe the food and service varies by region. If the food was as good here as it used to be, I'd think twice about quitting.

Birdy,

Sorry to hear of your issues of late with this MSC. I would suggest perhaps a 3-6 month cooling off period of not accepting shops rather than an outright quitting of the MSC. It is generally better to leave your options open as you never know what the future holds for either the restaurant or MSC.

Whatever you decide, best wishes for you going forward!

@msimon-2000 wrote:

Birdy,

Sorry to hear of your issues of late with this MSC. I would suggest perhaps a 3-6 month cooling off period of not accepting shops rather than an outright quitting of the MSC. It is generally better to leave your options open as you never know what the future holds for either the restaurant or MSC.

Whatever you decide, best wishes for you going forward!

If you wait long enough (maybe 4 months) it seems ardent will end the relationship for you.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I get that the OCD editor in you can't stand sloppiness like misspelled words when an MSC holds us to such high standards. Did you email anyone (like Corey or Tracey) to tell them how you feel?

I messaged the person I think is their chief editor; apparently other people had contacted her about these issues, and she passed them along to management. Nothing changed. I looked at their website, and it, too, has awful writing. I suspect that the owner or a family member is writing the website content and shop materials, and thinks he/she knows more than professional writers/editors, and even more than their own in-house editors! It speaks to a certain arrogance. And, to me, it means they don't care enough about what potential clients (who visit their website) think of them to make sure their content is professionally written. I think that's not only unprofessional, but poor business as well.

I've been doing this long enough to expect errors in shop questionnaires and guidelines. We all do, right? But Ardent's used to be much better than those of many other MSCs. Now they're much worse than many. And it's sad. Sigh....

@msimon-2000 wrote:

Sorry to hear of your issues of late with this MSC. I would suggest perhaps a 3-6 month cooling off period of not accepting shops rather than an outright quitting of the MSC.

Thank you, msimon. I have a shop scheduled for this month, and I was going to cancel it. But I wouldn't feel right about that, either, so I'll do it. I'll just stop accepting shops for awhile and see how it goes.

It's called burn out. I requested to reduce the amount of shops with them for a couple of months because my heart wasn't in it to do the reports.Back in their clients' hey day, I averaged about 8 to 10 shops per month. It's probably also a sign of the times since many clients have scaled back using MSC and effects the MS jobs.

I've been toying with the idea of this as well. I was so excited to become a shopper for Ardent because (name of restaurant removed) had been my favorite restaurant for years, but lately their food has gone down hill and sometimes I wonder if it's worth it. I completely agree the chips are nothing like they used to be. I usually look forward to doing restaurant shops, but when I do (name of restaurant removed) assignments I dread the report and wait to do them on a day where I won't have much else to do. I don't have the heart to break up with (name of restaurant removed) or Ardent yet.

(Mod note: Please review the Forum guidelines. Linking the name of an MSC with its clientele is not permitted and is probably also a violation of your ICA)

My scheduler was let go too- (same one as yours likely.) She was wonderful. It seems that Ardent puts on a "green" and responsible facade- but are just as heartless and cut throat as ever. The so called improved report that was supposed to be shorter has shown a lot of "narrative creep"-- more narrative required in the blocks and added things to comment on- with a lowered fee. There is just as much narrative as before -- just in different areas/blocks. This lasted BIG lawsuit from employees because they are forced to work off the clock is disheartening. The food needs to improve and they need to treat their employees better. Me thinks Ardent is running out of moral steam..........I am not pleased that they fired such a great scheduler. I GUESS PEOPLE ARE JUST DISPOSABLE TO xyz burrito company AS WELL -- WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT - I THOUGHT THEY WERE A BETTER COMPANY.
.

@catlassy wrote:

It seems that Ardent puts on a "green" and responsible facade- but are just as heartless and cut throat as ever. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT - I THOUGHT THEY WERE A BETTER COMPANY.
.

WOW. You sound disgrntled. Are you related to the scheduler who was "let go?" Do you know for a fact that she was "let go" or did she possibly just move to another positiion in another company? Do you know WHY she was "let go?" I like my scheduler, too, but I don't know her intimately nor do I know how good or bad a job she is doing for the company, so I certainly wouldn't be tremendously disappointed if she left. One door closes, another door opens.

As for the buritto company's performance, their food is still good but their customer service has gotten worse and worse, almost like they were not being mystery shopped. Are they reading the reports Ardent sends them? I'm getting tired of writing bad reports because of the employees, so I find myself doing fewer burrito shops. Ardent also has a burger company client and an Asian client. The Asian is East Coast only, I think, and I have never tried it. The burger client is good and I'm enjoying doing those shops. The reports are very similar to the burrito client reports.

You sound so bitter it might be time to deactivate. It sounds as though you feel so strongly that your reports might not be objective any longer.

I had the same scheduler and she was great. And she was definitely "Let Go". She contacted me on her own before it was officially announced to let me know she wasn't with them anymore. I just hope they aren't overburdening the schedulers they still have as the one who has take over my area also does (name of restaurant removed) and seemed overwhelmed by the work at times.

I am getting a bit tired of the editors needing things in granular form to be acceptable on the current KQ and now the food taste. It's really annoying as they didn't do this until recently.

(Mod note: Please review the Forum guidelines. Linking the name of an MSC with its clientele is not permitted and is probably also a violation of your ICA)

I have not noticed the difference out here on the west coast. I still get good service and good food. We do have the Asian shop out here but they are few and far between.
As far as I know my wonderful scheduler is still around. Perhaps next month she will be gone, But it makes sense that with far fewer jobs now that they seem to be scheduling one per month per location rather than two they would cut back on staff. I only know my scheduler but if she takes over your area you are in for another really nice scheduler.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2016 04:32PM by sandyf.

Sandy, how is the Asian shop? I've wondered. Have you also eaten at the burger joint? I like it but don't find it one of my favorite places to shop. And, yes, I agree, when we received the notice that fewer shops would be scheduled for the burrito client, I figured fewer staff would be necessary. What that generally means is that either lower-performers or those with less senority will be cut from the staff. So I am not surprised to hear that some Ardent staff have been let go.

The problems with service I have noticed seem to be that the staff members, including management, are now being hammered about cleanliness on the serving line and food health issues. It makes sense given the company's recent health problems. It's almost as if the staff have decided "ok, fine, if that's what you want, that's what you get. We'll drop everything else." And it appears that they have. The behind-the-counter service is upbeat and friendly, but, after I pay for my food, there is no interaction with the staff at all. No one ever comes out of the back and checks the dining room, except infrequently when the plastic ware is refilled or when a customer walks to the serving line/cashier and complains about something. No one cleans in the dining area. It starts out clean at 11 AM but is just plain dirty by 1PM. And it gets worse throughout the day. Where my reports used to be filled with interactions with staff memers and the manager who came out and visited with customers and asked "how is everything?" "do you need anything?" there is now no interaction since there are no dining room visits. Instead, my reports are now filled with comments that no one visited the dining area during my shop and descriptions of how dirty the dining area was. And, in case you are wondering, I am not a white glove cleanliness critic - so dirty to me is probably almost a health issue to a more cleanliness-oriented person.

Where my reports a year ago were almost 100% positive, they no longer are. The new report form is great and I can breeze through the reports really quickly now, but I'm getting tired of writing negative reports.

Oh brother. you have no way of knowing this one way or the other. I have great comparmentalization skills.

Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned the Burger Joint by name. My apologies.

The Asia place is great, but they don't shop it here yet. We'll see how things go, but I'm not feeling very positive about this change.

Ok, maybe it's just me, but this past month the editors have gotten way too picky.

Example: I was cited for writing "Chips were light and crispy" instead of "THE chips were light and crispy."

Ridiculous, IMO.

I get assigned one burrito restaurant each month, and I look forward to it.

@AustinMom wrote:

Sandy, how is the Asian shop? I've wondered. Have you also eaten at the burger joint? I like it but don't find it one of my favorite places to shop. And, yes, I agree, when we received the notice that fewer shops would be scheduled for the burrito client, I figured fewer staff would be necessary. What that generally means is that either lower-performers or those with less senority will be cut from the staff. So I am not surprised to hear that some Ardent staff have been let go.

Hi Austin, I guess what I said was misleading...They do have the Asian shops out here in California but I am not shopping those shops...I cannot mention the actual name of the restaurant but it has the word Shop in the title so that was why I said the Asian shop. not a shop shop. I have not seen any of the Burger places and don't even know what they are called. There seem to be a never ending number of new Burger joints so maybe one of the local ones is theirs and I just had no idea. As for table visits, I have been shopping Ardent for several years now and have probably had only one or two times there was a table visit. Usually it was someone wanting to take my tray away if I was finished. So the level of service in that regard has not changed for me and they do still seem to be coming and clearing tables and sweeping etc.

darewright, it was just proper usage of grammar. Would you say, car went fast or the car went fast?

I'm not happy with them reducing the payment, particularly because things are always more expensive in NYC and I already had a pretty slim profit margin. But for their burrito joint and burger joint I really, really don't appreciate some of the KQs they make me do. I'm happy to observe and ask innocuous questions but for the past few months they've been making me consistently lie about having allergies. For the burger joint they also tell me exactly what I have to order, which I don't appreciate, and I don't think I've ever had any other fast food restaurant do that to me.

@catgrannyof5 wrote:

darewright, it was just proper usage of grammar. Would you say, car went fast or the car went fast?

Chips = plural. "Cars went fast" is acceptable.

@Misanthrope wrote:

I'm not happy with them reducing the payment, particularly because things are always more expensive in NYC and I already had a pretty slim profit margin. But for their burrito joint and burger joint I really, really don't appreciate some of the KQs they make me do. I'm happy to observe and ask innocuous questions but for the past few months they've been making me consistently lie about having allergies. For the burger joint they also tell me exactly what I have to order, which I don't appreciate, and I don't think I've ever had any other fast food restaurant do that to me.

I actually stopped doing the Burger ones for precisely that reason. That and one of the editors borderline accused me of lying about what the cashier's were saying to me. I can't help the fact that the Burger folks hire a lot of...well...people who just plain can't talk very well and gave me mishmash answers. At least the KQ for the Mexican place is ok this month...sorta. I keep getting nit picky e-mails from the editors because my answers aren't completely granular to every minute speck of the question. "No one came out with the *item in question*" really should be a fine answer.

I'm not sad with Ardent. I find the new report to be shorter and easier. The only feedback I've received on my reports for the past year or so is a thank you from the editor. Of course I always write in full sentences. I enjoy having the flexibility to schedule the shop for lunch or dinner on almost any day in the month. That makes it easy to complete the shop as part of a route. Sometimes I need to do it past the 25th and my request for an extension has never been turned down. My scheduler is great and answers my emails quickly. There is a private FB page where we can share our thoughts and issues. I find the pay fair for the amount of work required. I used to get two or more shops each month but now down to one. There must be more trained shoppers on my area. In fine with the one shop though. So I have no problems with Ardent and I look forward to continue to shop for them.

I feel like a ditz because after 2 1/2 years of doing the reports fully, I finally get some different feedback concerning the report comments along with the usual great job on the report feedback. I was informed that I did not need to fill out EVERY comment regarding the food. The editor instructed me to provide a comment/explanation only if I had marked it with a "No" answer for the comment. There was no need to provide a comment on the "Yes" comments on the food.

@catgrannyof5 wrote:

I feel like a ditz because after 2 1/2 years of doing the reports fully, I finally get some different feedback concerning the report comments along with the usual great job on the report feedback. I was informed that I did not need to fill out EVERY comment regarding the food. The editor instructed me to provide a comment/explanation only if I had marked it with a "No" answer for the comment. There was no need to provide a comment on the "Yes" comments on the food.

That's what I do. Occasionally I'll throw in a comment on a yes food item but certainly not all of them. Let me add to my comments that I always get more than I can finish so there is enough to bring home for another meal. Another plus for me.

@catgrannyof5 wrote:

I feel like a ditz because after 2 1/2 years of doing the reports fully, I finally get some different feedback concerning the report comments along with the usual great job on the report feedback. I was informed that I did not need to fill out EVERY comment regarding the food. The editor instructed me to provide a comment/explanation only if I had marked it with a "No" answer for the comment. There was no need to provide a comment on the "Yes" comments on the food.

That happened with me too. The trainer that I had was a newbie and didn't mention this. Thus, I thought I had to comment on every single item! No wonder my initial reports took almost 2 hours (this was when they had the longer report). Thankfully I learned from another shopper that I only needed to comment on the "no" items.

I think this has been mentioned in the secret FB group. If you are not a member ask your scheduler for an invitation.