Restaurant
An alarmingly high percentage of restaurants fail within their first few years of opening, and an even larger number struggle, year-over-year, while returning a modest bottom line profit to their operators. Even with such a competitive landscape and known high risk of failure, restaurants continue to open at record rates.
For this reason, it is critical that restaurant operators actively seek to “wow” their customers by providing unique and exceptional guest experiences.
One of the most useful tools used to measure the guest experience is collecting customer feedback, and it comes in many forms and degrees of usefulness.
Surveys are helpful for collecting large quantities of data points but lack the detailed information that mystery shops provide
Online reviews are biased toward a particularly negative or positive experience whereas mystery shops are unbiased
Internal audits lack the customer’s viewpoint, but mystery shops capture the operation in its natural state
How Our Strategic Feedback Programs Drive Value
Drive Operational Performance
- Our Clients Use mystery shops to evaluate the service steps from an objective vantage point.
- Mystery shops help our clients to maintain brand standards across their restaurants.
- Mystery shops are a second set of eyes for our clients, and the reports provide information that their Executive Team, District Managers and Store-level Managers can use to drive change.
- Our clients use mystery shops to measure the effectiveness of employee training and evaluate performance.
Measure Operational Changes and New Initiatives
- Mystery shops provide our clients with feedback on new programs and initiatives from an operational perspective and can help evaluate employee behavior changes during the roll-out.
- Our clients use mystery shops on a project-by-project basis as a check-in for executional standards or to evaluate a new practice.
- Mystery shops provide our clients with the depth of information needed to successfully introduce new products.
Preferred Method of Collecting Feedback
- Mystery shops are our clients’ preferred tool for collecting customer feedback because of the accuracy and depth of feedback.
- Many of our clients use surveys in excess, but the number of questions asked and data that can be collected is limited. Mystery shopping is a much more detailed and thorough tool.
Constructive Criticism and Coaching
- Our clients use mystery shops as a constructive tool, not a ‘gotcha.’
- Our clients distribute the mystery shops to their management team to use for positive reinforcement and coaching.
Don’t Just Take Our Word For It
Let us tell the story of your guest experience first-hand
We Know Restaurants
Mystery Shops for Fine Dining, Premium and Casual Dining, Fast Casual and Bars and Nightclubs
Reports and Analytics
We boast over 50 different reports to help our clients drill down to the data they need to help their business thrive.
Dine Out. Write. Get Paid.
Enjoy a meal by providing detailed feedback at one of the many partner restaurants we work with
What Our Clients Are Saying
“A Closer Look’s services helped us formulate a qualitative scorecard specific to our hospitality operations and has helped us tremendously in monitoring and improving the experience for our guests. The team at A Closer Look is extremely responsive and helpful whenever needed.”
—Allison Lawley
Sr. Manager, Training & Hospitality Operations
Stone Brewing
“A Closer Look has consistently and thoroughly followed through with everything we have asked of them since the inception of our program. It’s one thing for a company to make promises on what they can do, but it’s quite another for them to actually follow through with such success!”
—Chris Hurt
Chief Operating Officer
Build-A-Bear
“A Closer Look is a great partner! The resulting data is easy to digest and make actionable. Most importantly, however, they’ve always been helpful and responsive with us when we have issues or urgent requests.”
—Andy Duddleston
Founder and Chief Experience Officer
The Little Beet
“The attentive service and lightning fast timeliness when anything requires attention are what sets A Closer Look apart from any other service provider we have worked with. Additionally, the reporting provided is best in class!”
—Brian Brennan
Vice President of Operations
Barfly Ventures
“The old adage ‘Inspect What You Expect’ is so true. Thank you… A Closer Look, you help keep us on our toes and our guests, owners and associates benefit. You are the best!”
—Lizz A. Chambers
Vice President of Sales and Orgizational Development
Newport Hospitality
“Our company has worked with A Closer Look for the past 5 years. The level of partnership is foundational to our growth and we look forward to expanding our business with A Closer Look as our long term partner.”
—Kevin Kochman
Director of Ops Excellence
Main Event, Inc.
“After over 20 years of being associated with A Closer Look, I wanted to take a few minutes to express my appreciation for the outstanding service you have continued to deliver to our properties and Area VP’s throughout these years. The flexibility your company offers in reports, trending and analysis is unmatched by other like sources.”
—Rick Schultz
Senior Vice President
Hilton Management Services Focused Service Division
“Utilizing A Closer Look has brought our service to the next level! We constantly engage in discussions & enhancements with the team to ensure we stay at the top of our game. Floor & Decor would recommend them to any business looking to gauge service levels and get some real insights into their operations.”
—Megan Giberti
Senior Manager Customer & Associate Experience
Floor & Decor
“The Regency Senior Living communities have partnered with A Closer Look for over a decade, and we continue to be extremely satisfied with the professionalism of the team and the ability to modify the program to our priorities. The reporting metrics are exceptional and help pinpoint areas of growth opportunities. I would not hesitate to recommend this company to my colleagues in our industry.”
—Jeff Clay
Chief Operating Officer
Regency Senior Living