Coyle Restaurant Shops
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Helpful thread here. I receive offers from Coyle for places a few hours from home. I love that city and love to go there just for giggles. I am gradually mustering up courage to try one of those restaurant shops. Eventually, I will feel brave, be well rested, and go for the dread-inspiring Coyle report- I mean, the presumably elevating lifestyle experience of eating at a place that does not exist my little town.
Bach is not noise, Madam. (Robert, in Two's Company)
@Shop-et-al wrote:
Helpful thread here. I receive offers from Coyle for places a few hours from home. I love that city and love to go there just for giggles. I am gradually mustering up courage to try one of those restaurant shops. Eventually, I will feel brave, be well rested, and go for the dread-inspiring Coyle report- I mean, the presumably elevating lifestyle experience of eating at a place that does not exist my little town.
Leave yourself 3 hours after your dinner for the report you will have to do. After they send it back to you 4-5 times for clarification, you will have earned that dinner. Better you than me. I'll just pay for my dinner without endless typing...
@Shop-et-al - it's honestly not that scary! very straight forward. I agree, I was nervous my first time. but after I did one, they are way easier now. i have never had any re-write requests. I am hooked. Hopefully, they keep getting nice clients in my area. There's this one more casual, health-focused place with a $50 reimbursement and an easy report (max 1 hr for me) that I've come to love (now that I've done them 3 times). I would not mind doing that shop into perpetuity hehe. You might try starting with one of those to get your feet wet before doing a more complex $150+ option.
When you apply, assuming they assign you the option (or auto-assign if you've already built a rapport), you have an opportunity to review the details of the shop to accept/reject within 12hours. therefore, no need to fret. sign up for a few and see what they want.
edited to tag @Shop-et-al
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2021 02:24AM by asleep.
When you apply, assuming they assign you the option (or auto-assign if you've already built a rapport), you have an opportunity to review the details of the shop to accept/reject within 12hours. therefore, no need to fret. sign up for a few and see what they want.
edited to tag @Shop-et-al
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2021 02:24AM by asleep.
I don't mind Coyle reports. Dinner shops can be worth it to me. Yes, you'll find that the reports take 2-3 hours and you need to keep good notes while you eat (on phone or voice record). I can certainly understand why these shops might not be worth it for the lawyer replying above, but I'm not earning what he/she is. For me, a $150 reimbursement for three hours work allows me to eat somewhere I might otherwise not be able to comfortably afford.
It's time. I applied for one today.
Wow - all I wish I had known about this forum before accepting my first restaurant shop. There is no way to get that level of detail without recording the entire night. I had my first shop rejected because I didn't have the second by second, blow by blow narrative. The response I got from the editor wasn't very nice.
There is an app by Tarushi called ShopIt that is invaluable for shoppers. You text timed notes and pictures to it then use it to construct your report. I find it useful helping me describe the dishes and the employees I encounter.
@Msilk Thank you for the tip on Shop It - there are 2 versions Lite (free) & Full for $1.99.
It's worth the $1.99 for the full version which gives you timing to the second, as opposed to the free version which is timing to the minute.
I honestly can't live without this app for mystery shopping these days!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2021 05:08PM by amyann2.
I honestly can't live without this app for mystery shopping these days!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2021 05:08PM by amyann2.
What gets me the most is the fact that when you DO get to the point where you are very good at writing these shops you STILL get an email with 10 extra questions. One time I even copied word for word the example they used to have available (they might still have them) making sure the timing and interaction was correct and I still got the email. Also, they make you feel like you are a criminal with these emails. I started taking screen shots of my entire narrative that I sent in. I would still get asked the same question that I already explained. I sent the screenshot from the form that I sent in explaining the question already. The editor decided to just not admit that she missed that or say "thank you." It turned into one of those silent rage quit emails.
I think it is quite funny that they do not let you see a copy of what you submitted after the fact. I am sure many would catch them on this. It has been years since I have done them and I am not sure if I want to get back into that game.
I think it is quite funny that they do not let you see a copy of what you submitted after the fact. I am sure many would catch them on this. It has been years since I have done them and I am not sure if I want to get back into that game.
Thank you for hitting the nail on the head - "they make you feel like you are a criminal with these emails." Your sentence explains how I was feeling when I got the curt email requesting more details and the subsequent response when I explained this is all I have, if you want more then make it a recorded shop. Feel free to ask 101 extra questions on this response, I feel only 10 means you're snubbing me.
Hopefully they pay me and I forget they exist.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2021 09:22PM by Tanischri87.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2021 09:22PM by Tanischri87.
I'm actually shocked Coyle still has shoppers that shop for them. I have done over 20 plus restaurant shops for them and every single shop has been nit-picked for additional details. I am now to the point where I would rather pay for the $80 meal then spend three hours writing up their reports. One of my last editing requests for additional details was, "Can you tell us the length of hair of the female food runner who brought your dessert out."
They are getting even worse now, I guess because the shopper market has changed (or so they think?). Their dinner shops used to pay $15 fee, now they are telling you to bid $5-15 with a default bid of $10. It's not like I was netting a ton of money but the lower amounts are practically insulting. If you're going into the city, $10 *might* pay for parking. Hotel shops used to pay $100, now they are suggesting that you bid $30-$40. I'm sure people are still snatching them up but it's disappointing.
They are probably charging the clients less. But since they still want to make the same money, they are taking advantage of “business owners”/shoppers because they can.
I just did a batch of shops for Coyle and have experienced the same with endless nit-picking. Some of my shops were excluded. So frustrated.
@jrj76 wrote:
I started taking screen shots of my entire narrative that I sent in. I would still get asked the same question that I already explained. I sent the screenshot from the form that I sent in explaining the question already. The editor decided to just not admit that she missed that or say "thank you." It turned into one of those silent rage quit emails.
I think it is quite funny that they do not let you see a copy of what you submitted after the fact..
I type my narratives in Word and then copy/paste them. It's the only way to deal with them.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2021 01:27AM by cherubino3.
It really sucks. So many cool clients I would be happy to go out of my way to do work for and do a good job but it literally is getting to the point where I can make a nice profit on a route then enjoy that dinner on my own. The only thing they have on me at the moment might be a hotel in Maldives but even then I guess I could shop my ass off then go on my own!
There is exactly one client, a fast casual, I will shop for them as I have figured out the code for those assignments. I did some "regular" restaurant shops a few times and they almost broke me. I swear their editors are paid by the amount of questions they send back, even when they have been plainly answered in the report.
Speaking of Coyle, I've had one casual sit-down shop in "pending validation" status for over a week. Is that typical for them post-Covid? (The only other shop I've done for them this year was the easy cookie shop.)
@ weatheman2111, what is this "code" that you are referring to?
@Madetoshop wrote:
@ weatheman2111, what is this "code" that you are referring to?
Remembering all the questions they like to spring on ya that aren't in the form itself.
To answer my own question, my recent Coyle shop was approved 12 days after submission.
Coyle editors was never like this before. The experienced ones only need important timestamps, even their sample show this. The rest you can write, "within three minutes", ten minutes later, twenty minutes later, etc. .....were perfectly fine before. I do not know what happened. These nitpicking also happened to me when I picked up lower, reimbursement restaurants, especially lunch. These are usually farmed out to new editors who are trying to prove something.
Yes, I too noticed that one fee for lunch was reduced to $8, and some dinners were reduced to $10. What happened? Gas cost twice as much, and they are raising our bridge toll one more time to $7. Minimum wages are going up, salaries are through the roof, but casual shoppers fees are going the opposite direction, down.
Yes, I too noticed that one fee for lunch was reduced to $8, and some dinners were reduced to $10. What happened? Gas cost twice as much, and they are raising our bridge toll one more time to $7. Minimum wages are going up, salaries are through the roof, but casual shoppers fees are going the opposite direction, down.
I just completed a dinner at a restaurant for another company that I had previously done the same restaurant for Coyle. No exact time stamps were needed, 3 sections needed short paragraphs. Completed the report in under one hour and accepted today with no questions asked.
Thanks everybody, I nearly succumbed to doing a job for Coyle.. Actually, they sent me an email to do something that I would actually like to do (not a restaurant shop). But the job wasn't on the board when I signed in. I came on here to see if I could find some folks' opinions, and it seems I've dodged a bullet.
What other company are you referring to @carlsbadguy? I'd love to do these for someone other than the ridiculous Coyle. Coyle has me ready to quit this whole thing. Tonight got 70 additional questions on a report I spent 3 hours on last Saturday. I am a published travel writer and feel like I'm pretty decent at critiquing and writing. It felt like the editor was trying to catch me in a lie and asking for absurd timestamps.
@patvandenh wrote:
What other company are you referring to @carlsbadguy? I'd love to do these for someone other than the ridiculous Coyle. Coyle has me ready to quit this whole thing. Tonight got 70 additional questions on a report I spent 3 hours on last Saturday. I am a published travel writer and feel like I'm pretty decent at critiquing and writing. It felt like the editor was trying to catch me in a lie and asking for absurd timestamps.
This is ultimately what the nit picking has to be, catching you in a lie. I can not think of anything else that would be beneficial to be spending so much time circling back to you about things you have already explained. I really wish someone from Coyle would give some sort of explanation on these forms addressing the need for this while other MSC's do not do this.
Also, imagine how big the report is after you personally write it. Then imagine how much bigger the report gets when all the nit picking is added in. I can only imagine the clients falling asleep at some point during their time reading it.
Looks like COYLE just lost a client. It was with Marketforce just 2 years ago. Then went to Coyle for about a year. Now with HS Brands. Just got emails today about it. I did a couple with COYLE. Those REPORTS were heinous, but the reimbursement was generous and the pay was significantly better than MF (no surprise). I'm wondering what they will be like with HS Brands. Can't be as bad as Coyle, can it?
I'm referring to a popular group of So Cal mex restaurant chain.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2022 06:30PM by hbbigdaddy.
I'm referring to a popular group of So Cal mex restaurant chain.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2022 06:30PM by hbbigdaddy.
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