Mystery Shopping
Sample Report
One of the questions I hear most often is, "What does a real mystery shopping report look like?" Instead of showing you a made-up example, here's part of an actual restaurant report I completed in Texas. Although this report is from 2009, it still illustrates the kinds of observations mystery shopping companies expect today.
There were 25 YES and NO questions to answer and the description of what happened. I was asked to give 4 points for each YES question and 0 points for each NO. You must comment on any questions that you answered NO to.
The reporting software companies use today is more modern, but the basic goal hasn't changed: observe carefully, answer honestly, and describe what happened.
Want more help getting started? My book, Take That Job And Mystery Shop It!, walks you through finding assignments, completing shops, writing reports, and avoiding many of the mistakes new shoppers make.
Tell me about any bad experiences you've had with customer service. Fill out the form below.
Here are some of the questions I had to answer:
- Was the exterior to the restaurant clean?
- Were all the lights working in the parking lot?
- How long did it take before you were greeted?
- Were you greeted in a friendly manner?
- How long did it take before you were served?
- Was the restroom clean and fully stocked?
- What did you order?
- Was your main entrée good tasting?
- Was your drink properly mixed with ice?
- Did the person who waited on you check back often?
- Were there any problems during checkout?
Here is the description of what happened during my visit. I started the mystery shopping sample report with the appearance of the restaurant, moved on to the quality of the service, how the food was and how it ended.
Mystery Shopping Sample Report
The exterior of the restaurant looked pretty clean, except for one trash can that was overflowing with garbage. Plus, the yellow stripe divider lines in the parking lot were faded. It was daytime, so no lights were used during my visit.
When I walked in the restaurant, I was greeted immediately by two waitresses and a shift manager. All said a collected "hello." Heather, the shift manager, told me that I could take a seat anywhere. I sat down at a booth and she brought me a menu and took my drink order. She said a waitress would be with me in a moment.
One minute later, Connie walked up to me with a big smile, placed my drink on the table and introduced herself. She asked if I was ready to order. After I gave her my order, Connie asked if I would like anything else. She did not ask if I would like an appetizer or dessert. I took points off for that.
Seven minutes later, Connie walked by and said she would look in on my order. She came out two minutes after that with a very hot plate. It was too hot to touch. I used my napkins and my silverware to move the plate around. The hamburger was hot, but the bun was a little stale. The French fries were a little crisp, which was perfect for me. My drink was watered down and was overloaded with ice.
After my food was delivered, Connie did check with me once to see if I needed anything. However, when I was nearly done with the meal, I was looking for her so I could get the bill. I went to the restroom at this point. The men’s restroom had soap on the floor and was out of paper towels.
When I returned to my table, the busboy had already cleared it off. Had I seen Connie earlier, I would have told her my intention and left the bill on the table to show someone was still there. The busboy seemed a little surprised and apologetic that I was not done eating.
I took points off for the payment process as well. I walked up to the cashier's desk and asked for a bill. Heather seemed a little surprised I didn't have one already. She looked up what table I was at and printed up the receipt. I told her that my table was cleared before I was completely done with the meal. Heather was shocked about that and offered me a drink to take with me. She immediately spoke to the busboy about clearing my table before I had finished. Heather gave me the bill to sign and she wished me nice day.
Looking back, I suspect the problem occurred because my waitress' shift ended before my visit was complete. That's only my opinion, though, which is why many mystery shopping companies ask shoppers to report only what they directly observed rather than speculate about the cause.
Here's the big takeaway: since no one followed up with me after I last saw her, I could have walked out of the restaurant and not paid anything -- and no one probably would have noticed.
This mystery shopping sample report gives a lot of details, which business owners and managers love to see. They want to know as much as possible from the mystery shoppers' eyes what goes on with their business.
One of the hardest lessons for new shoppers is separating observations from opinions. Saying "the waitress forgot about me" is an opinion. Saying "no employee checked on my table for 18 minutes" is an observation. Companies usually prefer observations because managers can draw their own conclusions.
Have you ever been treated poorly by a business?
Have you ever had a bad service experience with a business? Share it!
Here is a report on the legality of mystery shopping.
Writing clear, objective reports is one of the most important skills a mystery shopper can develop. The better your reports, the more likely companies are to continue offering you assignments.
About the Author
I'm Mystery Don, and I've completed mystery shopping assignments for restaurants, hotels, apartment communities, automobile dealerships, and new home builders.
I created this website to help people avoid the mistakes I've seen—and to show new shoppers how legitimate mystery shopping really works.
My book Take That Job And Mystery Shop It! lists over 150 mystery shopping companies to contact. I offer beginner-friendly tips and honest guidance without hype.
We're always looking for new faces to visit different places.
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