Upon reading and dissecting an article on rewardsnetwork.com, we feel the most important questions remained unanswered.
https://www.rewardsnetwork.com/blog/mystery-shoppers-verified-feedback-and-your-restaurant/

There is little doubt that emerging and existing brands (restaurants, bars and similar establishments) struggle to accurately measure their customers’ experiences so that they can make appropriate changes toward securing concrete brand loyalty. The challenge often is, does an internal evaluation or audit provide your organization an accurate objective and contextual view of your operation’s service as seen organically? Most agree internal audits don’t work. Enter the mystery shopping company. Their services come in all sizes and prices, performed by either laypersons or industry professionals, providing deep analytics, or just bare-bones responses. Some offer individualized, specialized bar theft audits, some will just check boxes when sitting at your bar. Just like anything else, you get what you pay for.

Some even argue that their mystery shoppers would be better represented by any person (perhaps purposefully not from the hospitality industry), so that the experience can be truly equated to an everyday customer. Here’s the rub: That’s exactly what Yelp™ is. You are paying for unpublished Yelp reviews when they are already free. Ouch. Stop paying for unpublished Yelp reviews.

Next consider for a moment the motivation and expectations of the mystery shopper being compensated. Most companies offer the standard mystery shopper roughly $15 to $25 dollars to complete an evaluation, along with some expenses to cover any purchased items. While this serves to keep the costs down for the mystery shopping company and lowers your monthly bottom-line, bottom-line cost decisions often throw return on investment out the window. A discounted mystery shopping program which fulfills a management requirement but only checks off boxes on a sheet of paper, does little to provide actionable feedback needed to make corrections within your organization. That’s a bit like Yelp, isn’t it? Furthermore, when considering what can be gleaned by using industry trained hospitality persons as mystery shoppers, it quickly becomes apparent the ROI is non-existent in the cheapo versions of these services.

In contrast, Hospitality Checkpoint compensates its agents nearly four times as much as the average mystery shopper companies out there. Why is this important? Because they are trained in the nuanced and detailed operations of food & beverage service. This also affords our agents a living wage, which we believe to be the cornerstone principle of responsible business practices. We have plans to fit all budgets, all with rich and actionable feedback. Value and ROI are clear winners over cheap checklists, every single time.

In the hospitality industry, the tolerance has become very low for the issue of alcohol service to minors. Restaurant and bar employees who fail to require a valid identification before serving alcohol, can potentially put the establishments they work in (and their owners) in a real peril of a damaging liquor liability dram shop lawsuit. Owners and managers should always make it a very high priority that the service industry employees they employ first be instructed to always request identification from customers that may be of questionable age, and then to have all liquor serving employees be adequately trained on proper identification procedures. More importantly, it is also essential that restaurant and bar managers continue to be diligent about spot checking their employees are following proper identification protocols. These types of situations can also be verified via mystery shopping services. Secret shopper services can have criteria built into whatever mystery shopper program they may have that has certain line item criteria the mystery shoppers are to verify and report if employees ever fail to request proper identification. Failure to do so should correspond with an employee disciplinary write-up. This should also be documented, signed and then placed, as a record, in the employee’s file. Should a liquor liability lawsuit unfortunately arise, this sort of documentation can really help to indemnify owners from damaging litigation.
PROPER IDENTIFICATION PROCEDURES
The business should have adequate lighting, or a bright flashlight, for its employees to adequately check identification on the front and back of ID’s. A black light or florescent light is also very helpful in distinguishing holograms on the ID or discovering any suspicious alterations or mars.
The employee should ask for a “Valid ID” not just an “ID” or “Drivers License”. This allows the guest to produce a form of identification that is valid for alcohol purchase and not just a driver’s license – military ID’s, passports, or state issued identification cards. If the subject presents the ID within a billfold with a plastic cover, ask them politely to remove it. Feeling for a fraudulent ID is an initial line of defense and may uncover an ID that is not rigid, is paper thin, has no identification printed on the back, has information or the ID taped together, and/or a picture taped over another, etc.
The first thing to view on the ID is the expiration date, not the birth date, to ensure it is a “Valid ID.” The employee should simultaneously ask the subject “How old are you?” This will be an initial test of their age. Moreover, this will effectively short circuit any attempt of entry by a CUB (Covert Underage Buyer) sting operation as any police initiated CUB representative must reveal their true age upon an employee request. If a patron “obviously” appears over the age of 35, it is suggested that entrance may be granted if it within the establishment’s policies. However, if a police officer checks an ID while the patron is on premise and it’s expired, “legally” it’s not an acceptable form of identification so “technically” the establishment still may be held liable.
Employee should then check the birth date. The most effective way to calculate allowable entry age is to take the current year subtract 20, subtract again by 1, for the allowable year. If the birth date lands after the current date, then the subject is not 21 years of age. This should become second nature with repetition.
Next process, is to verify the ethnicity and hair color of the subject printed on the ID, and determine if it and the associated picture match the demographics of the subject. One of the most obvious forms of checks is to verify that the height of the subject corresponds with what is listed on the ID. Look intently at the subject’s eyes to verify they are the same color as what is printed on the ID. This also can assist in determining if the subject is impaired when attempting entrance or purchase. If the subject claims to be wearing “colored” contact lenses, request that one of them be removed. The subject’s hair or glasses should be removed if they obscure observation. Then check the subject’s nose configuration and observe its slope and if it is wide or narrow as it flares and does it accurately corresponds to the subject’s nose. The very same process should be used with the ears to observe if they are close to the head or flair out. The same attention should be used to determine if the eyes have the same spatial distance and if the distinguishing curves of the eyebrows are what are represented in the picture. Use caution when assessing the weight printed on an ID as this is a characteristic that may very well fluctuate.
These aforementioned observations of the subject’s characteristics can also assist in discovery of a fraudulent ID that may belong to a sister, brother, cousin, relative etc. This mode of false identification is by far the most frequently used form for an underage subject attempting entry into an establishment or purchasing alcohol.
A potential patron should have no issue with a few inquiries about their identification as long as it’s performed respectfully by the employee. If a subject becomes ornery, nervous, restless, annoyed, irritated, outraged etc. or has any signs of any uneasiness, this is a clear sign for suspicion.
If the employee checking identification becomes suspicious that they may have been presented with a false or fraudulent ID, it is suggested that they begin a series of questions to the subject. Verbally ask them their birth date, middle name, address, height, eye color etc. You can also ask them to sign a piece of paper and do a cursory comparison to see if it matched the signature on the ID.
An employee who has reasonable suspicion of being given a false or fraudulent ID, it is highly recommended it be confiscated and not give the ID back to the subject. If the subject becomes ornery and demands the identification back, it is suggested that the employee inform the subject that the police will be summoned and given the ID. The police can then determine its validity and can decide upon its return.

The Fast-Casual Restaurant Model – The Millennials Modern Day Restaurant Champion
With the approach of 2008, Americans found themselves in a new economic world, a world that found them with increasingly less disposable money in their wallets for dining. Folks that were used to going out 5 or 6 times a week had decisions to make to either stop going out, or find their prepared meals at a more affordable price. For many health conscious Americans, fast-food simply was not a viable option as they still wanted food that was perceived to be healthy and also made with fresh ingredients. This spawned the dawning of the age of the Fast-Casual restaurant model.
What exactly is a Fast-Casual restaurant? The Fast-Casual concept is lodged between the casual dining and the fast-food restaurant models. A typical Fast-Casual restaurant has a limited table service format, or is reliant completely on a self-service arrangement and usually does not have any drive-thru access. The ambiance of the Fast-Casual restaurant is usually far more upscale than a typical fast food concept revolving around the food genre’s concept. A good atmosphere is very important and it should mirror the restaurants concept. Fast and friendly service is essential, delivered by employees that are happy and not observed drudging through their shift. The average ticket price is normally around $8-$15, which is affordable for most Americans and Millennials. Its value driven and doesn’t just revolve around the cheapest price point – the dreaded unhealthy $1 menu. The successful key factor is the use of good, healthy and fresh ingredients, which drives customers to this perceived healthy dining option. It’s not the death of the fast food burger, but rather an upgraded heathier burger quality option of this staple food at a more affordable price than a full service restaurant.
This Fast-Casual restaurant market segment is now an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. According to the market research firm Euromonitor, since the year 1999, the Fast-Casual concept has erupted with a growth rate of more than 550%. Faster and better by far than any other restaurant segment by a long margin. Euromonitor’s study further states that Americans spend a whopping $21 billion on the Fast-Casual concept a year. Furthermore, the slowdown in the economy, after the 2007 economic recession, really delivered a Mike Tyson caliber right hook to most segments of the restaurant industry, but not the Fast-Casual concept. This segment doubled its growth during the recession’s peak points. Again, an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.
The Fast-Casual concept isn’t a closely held secret. Folks know a winner when they see one and the Fast-Casual concept is definitely an economic profit bullseye. It’s further strengthened by the fact that it seemingly isn’t ever going to go away, which also brings security. So, with that said, the competition for market share is becoming fierce. Sticking to the high standards of good quality food, in a good atmosphere, delivered by fast and friendly staff members, is the combination code to unlock success in this segment. You need all three working symbiotically, in order to experience success. Failing at one can spell disaster and consumption by competitors. Food standards and delivery, as well as, décor and atmosphere can mostly be held in control but service standards are very dynamic and need to be monitored rather closely. Mystery shopper services can be a saving grace with this aspect helping operators more closely monitor a myriad of stores that may be peppered all over their city or eventually country for that matter. The secret shoppers, armed with criteria specifically tailored to their individual Fast-Casual concept, can help operators really keep their finger on the pulse of spread out operations. The undercover shoppers can deliver information that can help course-correct a store that may be lagging behind and could cause a marring of the overall brand. Something an emerging concept can ill afford.

Why Isn’t That Bartender Ringing in Any Drinks?
There are several reasons why bartenders delay ringing drinks into the POS register and some of them may be honest mistakes. Other times it may be simple laziness, but these actions can also spell blatant attempts to mask bartender theft and integrity issues.
When bartenders have a propensity to “group” drink orders or have “delayed rings” to the POS terminal, real trouble can be the result. Liquor is the lifeblood of a bar and should be treated as such. Over the 12 years I have run a bar spotting mystery shopper company, I have interviewed thousands of bar and restaurant owners who have contacted us because of suspected bar theft issues. In the interview process, one of the criteria we always ask is, “Does the bartender have to go to the register after each drink order is processed or are they allowed to delay their rings or group several drink orders together?” I often hear, “Yea, I allow them to do that, they say they work faster that way.” Wrong! They’re most likely stealing from you. I am still always amazed at how many bar managers allow this behavior to occur.
No matter how experienced, tenured, or quick a bartender thinks they are, there will be something that will inevitably be unaccounted for if they are allowed to delay drink rings. This drink grouping and delivery may save a few moments and supposedly make customers a bit happier, but the perception the bar manager has that this more timely performance is seemingly a benefit is now moot because the “house” has just lost revenue on drinks that ended up unaccounted for.
Not all bartenders are thieves, and not every bartender that delays rings is dishonest. The majority of the times they just might be too busy and feel that delaying rings and grouping the orders later saves time. Last week, my wife and I were at a bar and I watched the bartender make approximately 18 drinks without reporting to the register once. Yes, a dozen and a half drinks with no accountability. When it slowed down a bit, the bartender finally went to the register and began to take note of everyone seated at the bar making a visual inventory of who was present and what drinks were delivered to them. On the surface, she appeared to be honest and was attempting to account for all drinks that were delivered. Well, when she was making this mental inventory, my wife had left for the restroom. As you might guess, the cocktail she had ordered was never accounted for on our final tab. I brought this to the bartender’s attention and was given, “Oh! You’re right. Wow! sorry about that.”
Now, an unscrupulous bartender who observes this loop-hole in the bar system can quite easily use it to their monetary advantage and seldom will ever get caught because the practice is allowed. Even a bar spotter, well trained in bartender theft detection, cannot substantiate probable theft when the bartender isn’t reporting to the register after each transaction. As previously mentioned, when the bartender delivered 18 drinks without ever reporting, it makes it nearly impossible to substantiate theft that may be occurring. Many times when our bar spotters writes in their report evaluations of the delayed rings and grouping of orders, the bartender in question nearly always has a rebuttal of, “Oh I just forgot” or, “ I rang those drinks in later.” Uh huh, yea right.
No worries, there’s a VERY simple solution to this dilemma – just tell all bartenders that they need to ring in all drink orders directly after they make them and to do this, without fail, each and every time. A mantra of “make a drink, ring a drink” should be instilled with bar employees, without question, and followed to the letter. Twelve years of being bar spotters in the secret shopper industry, revealed to us that the vast majority of bar theft will occur from this lackadaisical loop-hole in the restaurant’s bar management systems. It is further suggested that bar managers create a document that states that delayed ringing of drinks or grouping of orders is strictly prohibited and will be considered a possible theft situation should it ever be observed. Disciplinary write-ups should be the protocol for breaking the rules. Mystery shoppers can then verify in their reports if any transgressions occur, which can be very powerful for disciplinary actions and employee course corrections. Even more powerful, if you have cameras, is to have the mystery shopper timestamp the transgression and then verify, via the video tapes. With all that said, if you do not have a mystery shopper program in place, especially with experienced secret shoppers that have proven bar spotting ability, well… this is just another solid reason why you should.

Hospitality Checkpoint’s approach to mystery shopping is more from an angle of hospitality consulting as opposed to being a generic mystery shopping provider with a checklist. As hospitality consultants we set up a mystery shopping program for our clients from a standpoint of extensive experience and professionalism from the beginning process to initiating the secret shopper program.

As customer service consultants a typical 2-hour secret shopper service is a full service complete facility inspection that involves an agent performing a restaurant mystery shop of a server in the dining room followed by an integrity check and bartender theft prevention audit at the bar. Services also include, where applicable, audits of the overall facility condition, management staff, bussers, cocktail servers, host staff and food & beverage quality and presentation. Also inclusive with our mystery shopping services is a recorded call of how staff his handling telephone procedures.

What differentiates Hospitality Checkpoint’s customer experience consulting is its highly distinguished restaurant industry leading bar loss prevention services. Bartender theft prevention shops or “bar spotting” as it is known in the restaurant and bar industry is an art form so to speak and really can only be conducted by an undercover shopper that has hands on bartending experience. Bartenders have behind the bar working nuances that can only be identified by other experienced bar staff personnel and it can be near impossible for a lay secret shopper to detect. An inexperienced restaurant shopper may have bartender theft happening right in front of them and still not be able to identify an integrity theft problem going on. This can be rather damaging when a mystery shopping agency reports to its client that no integrity issues were observed when in fact they actually was bartender theft occurring.

Hospitality Checkpoint only employs well-seasoned hospitality workers as bar spotters in our bar theft prevention audits. That is the only way that a mystery shopping program will work properly is with a professional “bar spotter” or otherwise the client risks receiving flawed data from its integrity shop. Another mystery shopper agency may state they can adequately produce a viable integrity shop of HCP caliber but a simple restaurant spotter can never match the solid track record of the bartender theft detection agents we deploy.

Because Hospitality Checkpoint only employs expreinced hospitality personnel, this makes our agents extremely qualified to be a restaurant secret shopper. Our mystery shopping services are particularly detailed because our agents know exactly what they should be looking when conducting a secret shopper program of a restaurant dining room. Other mystery shopper companies have secret shoppers that don’t understand the dynamics of a restaurant. They may report a delay in service without explanation where an HCP Operative may observe the delay was caused by a freshly seated 12-top table and report their customer service accordingly. This mixing of the subjective and objective viewpoints makes our restaurant mystery shopper reports highly dynamic and much more useful as a training tool. Albeit there are always clients that choose not to have any “objective” viewpoints omitted from their mystery shopping report and only have “subjective” findings included in the secret shopper report. In this case we include with their secret shopping services report a special section titled “Agent’s Opinions” so they don’t miss out on any potential gems of information.