This month, Ethos Consultancy’s team of mystery shoppers went undercover at a handful of the trendiest bars in Dubai, to check whether servers were shaken, stirred, on the rocks or simply neat

This month:

Dubai hotel bars

• Ginseng — Wafi Dubai
• Cooz — Grand Hyatt Dubai
• Crossroads — Raffles Dubai
• Calabar — The Address Downtown Burj Dubai

THE WHAT:

Caterer Middle East has partnered up with customer service experts Ethos Consultancy to highlight F&B service standards at outlets across the UAE. Each month, we’ll reveal mystery shoppers’ assessments of four different F&B outlets, to explore what these venues are doing right and what could be improved.

THE WHY:

This isn’t about catching F&B outlets with their trousers down: by measuring performance and providing expert advice on areas for improvement, we want to help better these operations — and the industry in general.

THE HOW:

Ethos Consultancy’s trained mystery shoppers are given a specific selection of outlets. Each shopper visits their assigned restaurant and dines as usual. Within 24 hours of every experience, each shopper fills out an online report, providing Ethos consultants with the information they require to offer constructive advice.

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Each mystery shopper is instructed to look out for the following:

Appearance
• Did the outlet appear clean and tidy?
• Were menus clear and easy to follow?

Sales and service
• The greeting and farewell received from staff
• The appearance of staff
• Time taken to be served
• Did the waiter ask questions to establish his customer’s preferences and needs?
• Was the waiter knowledgeable about the items on offer?
• Did the waiter offer undivided attention while serving?
• If an item was not available, did the waiter provide other helpful suggestions?
• Did the waiter attempt to up- or cross-sell by suggesting complementary items?

Overall Experience
• Would your experience encourage you to visit this outlet again?
• Did you leave the outlet with a positive impression of the venue?
• Would you recommend this outlet to friends, family or colleagues?
• How satisfied were you with the overall quality of service delivered?
• What could have been done to better your entire experience?