Theoretically, servers should treat all customers equally and fairly. But we live in a world where theoretical things sometimes remain just theory. What we're getting at is that sometimes servers mistreat their customers. While there could be justifiable reasons for that, sometimes, there are not, and they're just jerks. What's even worse is that they can quickly change their behavior after learning that their job might be on the line when, for example, a customer turns out to be a mystery shopper. And yes, you guessed right -- that's exactly today's story.
More info: TikTok
A woman who works as a mystery shopper recently posted a video about her negative experience at 'Outback Steakhouse,' and the video quickly went viral
Image credits: kaylalaughsoutloud
"I just completed an 'Outback Steakhouse' mystery shop. And unfortunately, they did not do that well"
"I was by myself, and when I walked in the door, I was immediately greeted by the hostess. And she asked me how many in my party. I said 'Just one.' She's like, 'Okay, I'm gonna sit you at the bar.' And I said I'm not interested in the bar. I'm 5'2, and it's really hard for me to sit in high chairs because it hurts my legs, because it cuts off the circulation, because my feet have nowhere to land, if that makes any sense. And to all my short girls out there, you know what I'm talking about."
"So, I asked her very nicely, I said, 'I'm so sorry. I'm not comfortable at the bar. Can I have a booth or a table?' And she was like, 'Well, I'm gonna have to ask my manager.'"
"I'm like that's really weird. I eat out a lot by myself because I'm a single woman, and all my friends work nine to five, and so on. And I take myself out all the time, and it's never a problem for me to get seated [at] a table. Every once in a while, I have to put my foot down, but usually not during a mystery shop. Well, this, this one was one of those. So, I, again, I'm like, 'Okay' because I have to let them do what they do. I can't make a fuss."
"And the manager came to me, he's like, 'Well, this is our busy lunch hour.' I'm like, 'Well, I'm about to be part of that busy lunch hour, and I'm just asking you for a comfortable place to sit and enjoy my meal.'"
Image credits: kaylalaughsoutloud
"He rolled his eyes at me. So, he reluctantly gave me what I wanted with the hostess right behind. The hostess slapped the menu on the table and walked away"
"The waitress came and asked me for my drinks and asked me if anyone else was showing up. I said, 'No, it's just me.' She got slightly an attitude with me, and she said, 'Oh, well, I can move you to the bar.' I said, 'No, I want to sit at a table. Is that okay?' Like good freaking grief, you know, and she was like, 'Okay, fine,' and she had an attitude about it."
"So, she brought me my drink within a reasonable amount of time, can't deny that. She took my order. It took a little bit longer for me to get my food, but it was prime lunch hour, and I get it. So, I let that roll. But she never came to check on me again, like ever. And when I was ready for my check, I had to wait. She made eye contact with me three different times, and you know how it works. You signal the person, like, 'Hey, I'm ready to go.' And she took forever to get to me."
"So, for someone who wants me out of their section, she really did not work very hard to get me out of her section in a reasonable amount of time to fill up her table with, you know, a bigger party, where she would possibly get a bigger tip."
"So, unfortunately, I was not able to give her her gift card of $50 for passing the mystery shop. So, this was a reveal one. So, I had to, you know, I pay my meal, then I came back in."
Image credits: kaylalaughsoutloud
"I revealed myself, and she was in shock. And that's when everybody -- the hostess, the manager, and my waitress -- wanted to act like they gave a 'you know what'"
"In a very nice way, I was like, 'Well, it's a little too late. I have all your names. I've marked them down. The cameras will show the experience. Have a good day.' I walked out, so."
"I just wish people would just be more considerate and do their job right, and they would keep their jobs. They wouldn't get written up. They wouldn't have to worry about mystery shops going good or bad because they naturally would do the right thing. It's really freakin simple. I've worked, I was a waitress, I was a fast food worker, I owned my own restaurants. I do my own thing today. I made mistakes, but I learned from them."
Image credits: kaylalaughsoutloud
"Just do your job the best you freakin' can. Is it just too much to ask?"
Image credits: kaylalaughsoutloud
Watch the video here:
This video was posted by a TikTok creator @kaylalaughsoutloud or just Kayla, who, by creating videos on various topics, has collected over 56K followers. This video about her being mistreated at “Outback Steakhouse” while mystery shopping went viral and currently has 1.3M views.
If you’re confused about mystery shopping, well, basically, it’s a marketing research method typically conducted to measure the quality of sales and service, job performance, regulatory compliance, or even to collect specific information about a market.
Mystery shoppers tend to mirror consumer behavior to test the consistency of the service provided. Then, they submit detailed reports and feedback about their experiences. If the report isn't favorable, well, that place or employees might face some negative consequences.
- In-person -- a mystery shopper visits the business, usually applied in retail and restaurants;
- Telephone -- a mystery shopper calls, usually to a call center or business where telephone services are an integral part;
- Hybrid -- a mystery shopper follows a whole customer journey. For example, from check-in to check-out at a hotel.
Image credits: Ion Fet (not the actual photo)
So, Kayla was an in-person mystery shopper who visited one of the “Outback Steakhouse” restaurants. It’s an Australian-themed restaurant chain whose headquarters is ironically based not in Australia but in Florida in the United States. Just as the name suggests, these restaurants are famous for their juicy steaks.
Well, the TikToker didn’t specify what exactly she ate at the restaurant since it wasn’t the focus of the video. Instead, she focused on how badly she was mistreated by the staff just because she was alone and, due to her short height, she didn’t want to sit at the bar.
Her distaste for sitting at the bar was considered a normal requirement by people in the comments under the video. Some of them agreed with her reasoning about her height, while others shared their concerns about, for example, recovering alcoholics who might not like to sit at the bar either. Overall, the restaurant’s stubbornness to seat a woman at a bar and then her mistreatment wasn’t met favorably by people online.
Image credits: Clark Douglas (not the actual photo)
Of course, it wasn’t met favorably in Kayla’s report as well. While the woman didn’t specify what exactly she wrote in the video, it’s clear that the report won’t serve as anything good for these employees.
But that’s on them for acting like jerks, isn’t it? After all, just as Kayla said in the video, if people would do their jobs the way they were supposed to, this wouldn’t have happened. In fact, if they had acted differently, they not only would not have been written negatively about in the report but would have received a gift card as well! And who doesn’t like a gift card, right?
It’s understandable that sometimes servers can have a bad day, be tired, or provide imperfect service for many other reasons. But in this case, it seems that they were just simply rude and weren’t doing their job like they were supposed to because Kayla refused to sit at the bar. So, let’s just hope that this encounter with a mystery shopper will have some positive impacts on their service and that the next mystery shopper won't have to write a negative report.
Image credits: Roméo A. (not the actual photo)
