The importance of mystery shopping for restaurants  

Restaurants can operate as multi-location dine-in, quick-service, and fast serve providers. Regardless of the channel of operation, consumers engage with restaurants in so many ways, from mobile apps to drive-thru and take-out. As there are several customer touchpoints, it is essential to learn what drives customers to restaurants and gain insights into the multi-channel experiences that consumers crave. Using the insights brands can drive improvement to satisfy customers beyond their expectations. Moreover, customer-centric restaurants never shy away from listening to their consumers from all angles and acquire feedback to use that information in providing a consistent customer experience across locations. 

Developing a customer-centric culture at the heart of your restaurant needs effort and an understanding of customer expectations. A customer expects fast food service, warm food, friendly staff, and accurate orders inside the restaurant. These are the common parameters of a good customer experience in restaurants. But, how to evaluate service quality and employee performance remains an important question. 

Fortunately, mystery shopping for restaurants is a proven way of evaluating customer experience across all touchpoints. Covert shoppers pose as regular customers to assess operations and customer experience. The good thing is that the mystery shopping program can be tailored for multi-location restaurants to acquire insights that matter for their brand success. The mystery shoppers will measure the following key metrics that impact customer experience and drive loyalty: 

Assess customer service standards 

Consumers like to get their orders in the stipulated time. They don’t like to wait a long time regardless of the channel they use. Even small delays in service time can disappoint customers. Delivering service at the projected time is an essential factor to drive loyalty and improve customer experience. Mystery shoppers measure the time taken to serve your customer against the set standards. Service speed impacts the customer experience.  

Review food quality standards 

Shoppers covertly review the food quality, temperature, presentation, and tastes before preparing a report based on their experiences. All these factors impact customers’ experience with your food. The report will contain insights into how your location delivers service on set standards and customer expectations. 

Satisfaction with Service

Customers come to the restaurant skipping a home-cooked meal with great expectations. They want more than just good food but dine in a special ambiance. Restaurants need to make them feel special. Staff giving them a warm welcome, appreciation of their presence, and parting remarks help a lot in this regard. A good engagement with consumers builds a lasting relationship and drives loyalty. Mystery shoppers can observe the level of engagement with customers by employees and present it in the report. 

Order Accuracy

Insignificant errors in the order can cost a lot of money for multi-location brands. Inaccurate orders can disappoint customers who may never come back again. Order accuracy is vital to build a happy customer base. Covert shoppers can monitor order accuracy and help avoid unnecessary losses.