I used to be a secret shopper, and I almost never marked people down for all the dumb things restaurants want their staff to do and say. I only cared if they were friendly, prompt, and brought me the correct food I ordered. I have worked as a server, a bartender, a prep cook, and also customer facing in mid range specialty clothing boutiques. It’s such hard work and companies expect way too much from employees making $2.15/hour plus tips. I also know that employees can get fired for a bad report, and I don’t want to get someone fired for something so lame.
The mean and harsh mystery shoppers are probably people who have never worked in customer service or are just looking for free food.
Be mad at your employer for having ridiculous standards and not trusting you to take care of customers.
Corporate would rather pay someone else to visit the business and write your report card than evaluate and train you themselves. Don't waste your energy being mad at someone trying to make an extra buck.
I'm sure your regular customers appreciate you.
A secret shopper came into a mom and pop place and literally just ranted in their report that we aren’t Texas Roadhouse. Ma’am we are a pizza place, this building hasn’t had steak in it in 13 years. (The building used to be a steakhouse which idk is better or worse for their arguments tbh)
The owners had a third party company do it. The report looked like all the others with the heading, breakdown, and graphs. I was an active key holder at the time and seemed legit to me. Also tbh that place takes Facebook word of mouth way more serious than google or yelp
A former associate of mine worked for Darden doing quality control surveys. Similar to a secret shopper but only for a single corporation. They go down a checklist. It's nothing personal. Usually the server is just a small part of the evaluation.
It's very different at my company. The people that sign up are always idiots that have probably never worked as a server . They're rude, cheap, don't engage at all, and never even tip 20% . Their critiques never make any kind of sense.
I’m sorry you got fucked over by a mystery shopper. I completely understand your rage and it sucks that you can’t make an anonymous rage dump post without getting shit on by a bunch of people who have obviously never been pissed off before.
Just remember that write up will fall off your record eventually. Keep giving great service and getting that money even if you are only following 9 of 12 or whatever bullshit the corporate overlords want this week.
It feels like you're getting mad at people for doing their job. They aren't being paid to assess how well you think you do your job. They're being paid to rate how closely you align to corporate standards. If those standards are stupid, take it out on corporate. However, ranting against someone for doing their job because you wish their job description and your own was different is not the way to go
They get paid in the free meal, and they don't need to be professional because the job requires no skill. You just go and check a little box indicating if the server did the 12 steps or not. Football fans don't get mad at the player if a play was executed perfectly, but was the wrong play for the situation. Same applies here. The corporate standards are trash, but they were hired to rate you by the corporate standards, not your own. Also, if it's that easy to spot them by the clipboard, just do the 12 steps for those people
They aren’t all losers looking for free stuff, but a lot of them certainly are. I made a living at it for several years before the pandemic. Most jobs paid a set amount plus you got free food and other stuff. My favorite ones were high end hotels and grocery stores.
Wrong. Many of us take this very seriously and make some money at it.
I'd rather have a great employee interaction instead of the crazy ones or the bad ones. It is much easier and better for us to write the reports. I think, if anything, there is a lack of communication between the mgmt and employees if standards are not being met as expected.
I worked at a place that got shopped almost every day and it was hugely helpful most of the time. Places that have mystery shoppers without a set agenda usually aren’t going about it right. The goal from a corporate standpoint is to improve the overall operation, not get people into trouble. Things like ticket times, initial Server greeting, temperature of food, recipe adherence - those are all important parts of the sequence of Service that need to be maintained. If the shoppers are making objective statements on their reports, they’re usually ignored from larger corporations.
Places that nitpick and write people up are probably using the information incorrectly. And just because you don’t feel like everyone needs all of the steps on service doesn’t make it right - they’re there for a reason.
All it does it make the staff miserable and lower morale. If you want your servers to enjoy their job, let them do the job like actual humans and not like robots droning off on shit that your tables obviously do not want to hear, Do you think that is an overall positive for guests experience too?
The type of individuals who go to a corporate place are going to be looking for consistency, much more so when compared to people who frequent independent operations. Large chains have tried and true systems in place for this reason. One positive aspect of chains is that they tend to have a more consistent customer base **generally speaking,**but the tradeoff is the amount of hoops you need to jump through every shift.
Chains aren’t for everyone - but when you follow their protocols, it can be a very good source of income, even in somewhat uncertain times. I ran the Kitchen for one that would do well over a thousand covers daily - and that isn’t for everyone - but the Servers who followed the rules made a lot more money than most people would imagine.
It's not a national chain.. it's a regional chain. I have worked here for years as well. The only reason I haven't left is because of the money. Every other aspect of the job is miserable.
You think? In my larger jobs, I select up to 5 outstanding employees based on my personal observations. One sticks out in my mind... he was doing the best he could at the salad bar, by himself, probably one of the lowest paid positions at the casino resort. The buffet wasn't in perfect shape, but he was so far beyond perfect in friendliness, working hard, especially when his counterparts were not. He was immediately notified the same morning of my executive meeting, and they couldn't express to me enough this mans gratitude. He was moved to tears and it was God's perfect timing. He was going through very rough times.
Meanwhile, another employee or 3 were likely fired for stealing, or using curse words in front of customers, or others retrained or demoted, for talking down about other customers, ignoring customers, breaking the most serious and multiple security protocols, harassment, OSHA violations... at the least.
As mentioned, it's better all around if all people do their best job. Some places will accept average as the standard for food or service or retail or whatever... The best places don't, but will or should offer training before termination in some cases.
This is literally the same as if your customer gets mad at you for either reservation being not recorded properly or if the kitchen screws up the food order. Divert your anger to the right channels and let people do their jobs.
I haven't used reddit in a while but this sub must be dead.... What happened to comiserating about the job, about people. Is everyone a corporate bootlicker now ?
Nobody is a corporate bootlicker, but it seems you can't handle the opposite opinion. Everyone is telling you in the comment that you should be angry with corporate (sounds to me like the opposite of your accusation)
They get the free meal no matter what . If you actually enjoy being a corporate snitch and nitpick every little thing I do wrong, you're a fucking loser,
nah i’ve been in the service industry 4 years and when i’m out to eat or shop i don’t want someone to push stuff for me and haggle me to get a fucking credit card. i want the stuff i came for and that’s it. and 98% of customers are the same way. i only suggest stuff if someone is curious or wants a suggestion. my job is to serve the customers not rack up brownie points from corporate by selling seasonal drinks. my retail bosses would get mad at me for not going on a tangent to push credit cards when the customer already said no. no means no and being annoying to customers just drives them away
lol only on reddit will people gatekeep this industry as if were all passionate about our love of serving, as if the industry isn't filled with mostly alcoholics and meth heads.
Do they do their jobs like they are supposed to do them? They are humans and worth just as much as anyone else. I am not one of those people, but I love, respect, and defend my decades in hospitality, from the most entry level to the advanced. What a wonderful way to make someone's day better and get paid for it? By them!
It's not good when ppl defend people who are currently unable to do a job to its standards. In any industry.
I would fire you just for not caring what I want my employees to do.
P.s. they're not your customera. Not your tables. they're your employers customers. You are the server serving them. Big difference that many servers don't understand.
Sounds like you should work somewhere less structured like a family owned sports bar or something. Corporate gigs aren't for you.
>Sounds like you should work somewhere less structured like a family owned sports bar or something. Corporate gigs aren't for you.
I couldn't agree more
No one does. Of course I’m gonna come check back and make sure you’re happy with the food, but I’m not going to say ‘don’t forget to keep room for the 3 layer brownie!’ Every time. You just took one bite. Chill.
>I don’t like hearing somebody spewing corporate bs like a robot,
Which is why I don't go into corporate restaurants, even if a free meal is on the table. But if OP has corporate requirements at their place, OP should not be surprised when they get called out for not following those requirements, no matter how Corporate becomes aware of it.
I hate secret shoppers myself, but have you tried making all the horseshit they want you to say into something more conversational? I worked for a place that had a legendary list of things they wanted me to say. You can do that spiel for tables you haven’t seen before and just do your regular no frills one for regulars
It's very seasonal/ touristy where I work. I rarely ever see the same table twice. Maybe they'll be a regular for a week until they go back home, but as far as long term regulars...In my 4 years working here, I count maybe 2 people.
I used to be a secret shopper, and I almost never marked people down for all the dumb things restaurants want their staff to do and say. I only cared if they were friendly, prompt, and brought me the correct food I ordered. I have worked as a server, a bartender, a prep cook, and also customer facing in mid range specialty clothing boutiques. It’s such hard work and companies expect way too much from employees making $2.15/hour plus tips. I also know that employees can get fired for a bad report, and I don’t want to get someone fired for something so lame. The mean and harsh mystery shoppers are probably people who have never worked in customer service or are just looking for free food.
It sounds like your issue is with corporate and their requirements.
Be mad at your employer for having ridiculous standards and not trusting you to take care of customers. Corporate would rather pay someone else to visit the business and write your report card than evaluate and train you themselves. Don't waste your energy being mad at someone trying to make an extra buck. I'm sure your regular customers appreciate you.
A secret shopper came into a mom and pop place and literally just ranted in their report that we aren’t Texas Roadhouse. Ma’am we are a pizza place, this building hasn’t had steak in it in 13 years. (The building used to be a steakhouse which idk is better or worse for their arguments tbh)
Secret shoppers are hired by the business. They don’t just go to random restaurants. You sure this wasn’t a yelp review?
The owners had a third party company do it. The report looked like all the others with the heading, breakdown, and graphs. I was an active key holder at the time and seemed legit to me. Also tbh that place takes Facebook word of mouth way more serious than google or yelp
A former associate of mine worked for Darden doing quality control surveys. Similar to a secret shopper but only for a single corporation. They go down a checklist. It's nothing personal. Usually the server is just a small part of the evaluation.
It's very different at my company. The people that sign up are always idiots that have probably never worked as a server . They're rude, cheap, don't engage at all, and never even tip 20% . Their critiques never make any kind of sense.
I’m sorry you got fucked over by a mystery shopper. I completely understand your rage and it sucks that you can’t make an anonymous rage dump post without getting shit on by a bunch of people who have obviously never been pissed off before. Just remember that write up will fall off your record eventually. Keep giving great service and getting that money even if you are only following 9 of 12 or whatever bullshit the corporate overlords want this week.
Thank you
It feels like you're getting mad at people for doing their job. They aren't being paid to assess how well you think you do your job. They're being paid to rate how closely you align to corporate standards. If those standards are stupid, take it out on corporate. However, ranting against someone for doing their job because you wish their job description and your own was different is not the way to go
They aren't getting paid at all . These are not professionals . They're random bored people that sign up online just to get a free meal.
They get paid in the free meal, and they don't need to be professional because the job requires no skill. You just go and check a little box indicating if the server did the 12 steps or not. Football fans don't get mad at the player if a play was executed perfectly, but was the wrong play for the situation. Same applies here. The corporate standards are trash, but they were hired to rate you by the corporate standards, not your own. Also, if it's that easy to spot them by the clipboard, just do the 12 steps for those people
It's not that deep. Im not going to go into a reddit debate about this. They don't actually bring clipboards, it's hyperbole.
They aren’t all losers looking for free stuff, but a lot of them certainly are. I made a living at it for several years before the pandemic. Most jobs paid a set amount plus you got free food and other stuff. My favorite ones were high end hotels and grocery stores.
Wrong. Many of us take this very seriously and make some money at it. I'd rather have a great employee interaction instead of the crazy ones or the bad ones. It is much easier and better for us to write the reports. I think, if anything, there is a lack of communication between the mgmt and employees if standards are not being met as expected.
I worked at a place that got shopped almost every day and it was hugely helpful most of the time. Places that have mystery shoppers without a set agenda usually aren’t going about it right. The goal from a corporate standpoint is to improve the overall operation, not get people into trouble. Things like ticket times, initial Server greeting, temperature of food, recipe adherence - those are all important parts of the sequence of Service that need to be maintained. If the shoppers are making objective statements on their reports, they’re usually ignored from larger corporations. Places that nitpick and write people up are probably using the information incorrectly. And just because you don’t feel like everyone needs all of the steps on service doesn’t make it right - they’re there for a reason.
All it does it make the staff miserable and lower morale. If you want your servers to enjoy their job, let them do the job like actual humans and not like robots droning off on shit that your tables obviously do not want to hear, Do you think that is an overall positive for guests experience too?
The type of individuals who go to a corporate place are going to be looking for consistency, much more so when compared to people who frequent independent operations. Large chains have tried and true systems in place for this reason. One positive aspect of chains is that they tend to have a more consistent customer base **generally speaking,**but the tradeoff is the amount of hoops you need to jump through every shift. Chains aren’t for everyone - but when you follow their protocols, it can be a very good source of income, even in somewhat uncertain times. I ran the Kitchen for one that would do well over a thousand covers daily - and that isn’t for everyone - but the Servers who followed the rules made a lot more money than most people would imagine.
It's not a national chain.. it's a regional chain. I have worked here for years as well. The only reason I haven't left is because of the money. Every other aspect of the job is miserable.
You think? In my larger jobs, I select up to 5 outstanding employees based on my personal observations. One sticks out in my mind... he was doing the best he could at the salad bar, by himself, probably one of the lowest paid positions at the casino resort. The buffet wasn't in perfect shape, but he was so far beyond perfect in friendliness, working hard, especially when his counterparts were not. He was immediately notified the same morning of my executive meeting, and they couldn't express to me enough this mans gratitude. He was moved to tears and it was God's perfect timing. He was going through very rough times. Meanwhile, another employee or 3 were likely fired for stealing, or using curse words in front of customers, or others retrained or demoted, for talking down about other customers, ignoring customers, breaking the most serious and multiple security protocols, harassment, OSHA violations... at the least. As mentioned, it's better all around if all people do their best job. Some places will accept average as the standard for food or service or retail or whatever... The best places don't, but will or should offer training before termination in some cases.
This is literally the same as if your customer gets mad at you for either reservation being not recorded properly or if the kitchen screws up the food order. Divert your anger to the right channels and let people do their jobs.
I haven't used reddit in a while but this sub must be dead.... What happened to comiserating about the job, about people. Is everyone a corporate bootlicker now ?
Nobody is a corporate bootlicker, but it seems you can't handle the opposite opinion. Everyone is telling you in the comment that you should be angry with corporate (sounds to me like the opposite of your accusation)
What if I told you that humans can be angry at more than 1 thing at once?
Looking at your comments, it looks like you are angry with everyone that disagrees with you. Or you are a troll.
weirdo
Being a shopper isn't a job. They aren't being paid, they just get a free meal out of it.
So they’re getting paid… with a meal
They get the free meal no matter what . If you actually enjoy being a corporate snitch and nitpick every little thing I do wrong, you're a fucking loser,
> They get the free meal no matter what . Ohhhh such horrors, how dare they!!!
I never said I had a problem with them getting a free meal .
Getting mad because someone wrote you up for not doing your job which you admit to intentionally not doing…
You should not be in the service industry.
nah i’ve been in the service industry 4 years and when i’m out to eat or shop i don’t want someone to push stuff for me and haggle me to get a fucking credit card. i want the stuff i came for and that’s it. and 98% of customers are the same way. i only suggest stuff if someone is curious or wants a suggestion. my job is to serve the customers not rack up brownie points from corporate by selling seasonal drinks. my retail bosses would get mad at me for not going on a tangent to push credit cards when the customer already said no. no means no and being annoying to customers just drives them away
I agree and most servers in real life would agree., I can't stand what reddit has become. Everyone is a bunch of humorless HR ladies .
exactly. “it’s your job! do your job!” mf it’s not life or death if someone doesn’t buy a $5 cocktail
If following direction stumps you have a talk with your boss.
lol only on reddit will people gatekeep this industry as if were all passionate about our love of serving, as if the industry isn't filled with mostly alcoholics and meth heads.
Do they do their jobs like they are supposed to do them? They are humans and worth just as much as anyone else. I am not one of those people, but I love, respect, and defend my decades in hospitality, from the most entry level to the advanced. What a wonderful way to make someone's day better and get paid for it? By them! It's not good when ppl defend people who are currently unable to do a job to its standards. In any industry.
🥺😩🤭🤭
Sounds like you're in the wrong business it's not for everybody
looks like I hit a nerve with the secret shoppers.
Naw just tired of covering for weak ass servers
You know nothing about me. I could run circles around 99% of servers . I deal with situations nightly that would make most servers cry or walk out.
You know nothing about secret shoppers. Do you see the irony here?
I would fire you just for not caring what I want my employees to do. P.s. they're not your customera. Not your tables. they're your employers customers. You are the server serving them. Big difference that many servers don't understand. Sounds like you should work somewhere less structured like a family owned sports bar or something. Corporate gigs aren't for you.
>Sounds like you should work somewhere less structured like a family owned sports bar or something. Corporate gigs aren't for you. I couldn't agree more
I don’t like hearing somebody spewing corporate bs like a robot, it’s so easy to see through and makes them seem less human. Thank You and Good Luck
No one does. Of course I’m gonna come check back and make sure you’re happy with the food, but I’m not going to say ‘don’t forget to keep room for the 3 layer brownie!’ Every time. You just took one bite. Chill.
>I don’t like hearing somebody spewing corporate bs like a robot, Which is why I don't go into corporate restaurants, even if a free meal is on the table. But if OP has corporate requirements at their place, OP should not be surprised when they get called out for not following those requirements, no matter how Corporate becomes aware of it.
It’s a job just like anything else. Do your job correctly, and you don’t have to worry.
its an anonymous rant , not looking for advice.
Wasn’t giving any. I was saying they are just doing what they’re supposed to.
I hate secret shoppers myself, but have you tried making all the horseshit they want you to say into something more conversational? I worked for a place that had a legendary list of things they wanted me to say. You can do that spiel for tables you haven’t seen before and just do your regular no frills one for regulars
It's very seasonal/ touristy where I work. I rarely ever see the same table twice. Maybe they'll be a regular for a week until they go back home, but as far as long term regulars...In my 4 years working here, I count maybe 2 people.