3 Ways Mystery Shopping Can Help Improve Tips for Restaurant Servers

As a smart restaurant owner, you understand the correlation between higher tips and a prosperous business.

Higher tips likely mean good service. Good service likely translates to repeat business, positive word-of-mouth advertising, and overall increased sales. That can lead back to more tips.

So where does mystery shopping come in to play with all this?

Secret shoppers can motivate servers to improve customer service. The results of a mystery shopper visit can also help your staff learn how to improve. So let’s look at three ways you can put mystery shopping into action to potentially increase gratuities (thereby ultimately enhancing your bottom line).

1. Motivation: An Incentive to Go the Extra Mile

First, it is typically a good idea to inform your staff that you have a secret shopping program . In addition to building trust, you motivate your team.

If your servers know that a customer is observing and providing objective feedback on server’s performance, he or she works that much harder to please every customer. Consider creating an incentive program to benefit the server who gets the best write up by your mystery shopper.

2. Information: A Useful Training Tool

While there are any number of  tricks of the trade for earning higher tips, it comes down to great, personalized service. But that’s not always easy. Not everyone has that innate ability.

However, most can learn. When you present mystery shopping as a resource for the team, you can use results to help your staff improve. You become not just the boss but a coach who is interested in helping them grow professionally, gain more satisfaction from their work—and earn more money.

3. Cooperation: A Team Effort

Closely related to number two, remind your team that good service leads to good business, which attracts more diners. And more customers, provides more opportunities for tips (as long as service remains good of course).

If your staff gets on board with mystery shopping as a tool for learning how to create a great customer experience, they can have a direct impact on their potential earnings from tips. It’s also a great way to get them to work as a team. By communicating better and learning what works and what doesn’t from a mystery shopper, they will be able to help improve the overall customer experience at your restaurant.

For more great information about how mystery shopping can help your restaurant business boost revenue, keep customers coming in, and strengthen your staff, contact our restaurant mystery shopping professionals . We would love to help you develop an effective strategy for your business.