Of all of the various types of mystery shopping assignments that you can choose from, restaurant assignments are often those that are most eagerly looked forward to. Whether you eat out at restaurants regularly or only once in a blue moon, many people love to sit back and relax while someone else does the cooking for them. Restaurant mystery shopping assignments give you the opportunity to enjoy a meal out while typically providing you with reimbursement for your time and meal. There are many of these assignments available for you to choose from, but before you jump right in, there are a few things that you should keep your eyes open for.
Timing Requirements
First, the timing requirements for a restaurant assignment should be considered. Clients often want to know how long customer are kept waiting for a table, waiting for the wait staff to take their order, waiting for their food and check to arrive and more. Many restaurant assignments require you to note the exact time for each of these and other points in the assignment site visit, and some even require you to take note of the number of seconds. This can be burdensome for you to deal with, and it often can be almost impossible to do without a split-function stop watch available to you. An otherwise enjoyable mystery shopping assignment can be transformed into a stressful event when such burdensome requirements are placed on you.
Bringing a Guest
You should also be aware that some mystery shopping assignments for restaurants have specific requirements in place regarding completing the site visit with other people. While some do not mention this factor and leave it up to you to decide if you want to complete the assignment with someone else, others have a specific requirement and clearly state if you can or cannot bring someone to dine with you. Some people do not enjoy sitting in a restaurant alone, and others do not want to feel obligated to bring someone along while they work. If this is a hot point for you, carefully read through the requirements of each assignment before you accept one.
Menu Options
You should also pay attention to the requirements regarding what you can and cannot order while on your site visit. Some requirements state that you must order one of every type of item, such as one appetizer, one entrée, one dessert and so forth. Some fast food restaurants may make you order one burger, one chicken item and so on. More than that, you may be required to sample each of the items so that you can comment on its taste and temperature. If you have food allergies or are on a special diet, some of these requirements may not be ideal for you.
Restaurant mystery shopping assignments can be entirely fun and enjoyable, but not all of them are ideal for some mystery shoppers. Take time to read through assignment requirements carefully to ensure that you sign up to work on the right restaurant assignments for you.