Maintaining profitability is the core goal for any business. That’s why every business needs a loss prevention strategy to keep the losses from inadvertent and deliberate acts to a minimum while retaining a high level of customer service. Mystery shoppers can be a valuable tool for developing a loss prevention strategy that identifies your main areas of loss and get your whole team on board. In this series of blogs, we’ll discuss how hospitality businesses can benefit from mystery shoppers, starting with restaurants.
Mystery shoppers are about more than customer service
Customer service is one of the key components of a mystery shop in a restaurant. They are evaluating the experience guests have from the time they enter the establishment to the time they pay the bill, however, that’s not the sole purpose of inviting one to visit.
Restaurant mystery shoppers are looking at aspects that managers and staff might overlook that can lead to reduced profitability.
Losses at the bar
Alcohol is a big expense for restaurants and, as we discussed before, can be an area for higher levels of employee theft. Free drinks given away by the bartender isn’t the only thing a mystery guest might look for during an audit. They’ll also consider the size of the drinks being delivered to diners. Mystery guests will look for over-poured drinks, occurrences of spillage, and human errors (like incorrect orders) that lead to losses.
Waste in the dining room
A mystery shopper will not only appraise the quality of the food – after all, a restaurant serving bad food will not see a lot of traffic – but also consider the size of the portions that are coming out of the kitchen to make sure it matches the crowd that is visiting your establishment. Without realizing it, your kitchen staff could be sending out dishes that are too big for your patrons, leading to wasted food and higher expenses. By having an independent observer check out your eatery, you’ll be able to make sure you’re not over-serving your guests and get your ingredient costs under control.
Niagara mystery shopper programs are a great way of looking through the guest’s eyes and understanding what works and what doesn’t. There is more to it than just refining your customer service and improving your loss prevention though.
