What’s it really like dining undercover in Dubai?
A mysterious aura follows the intriguing world of mystery shoppers. The term itself – ‘mystery shoppers’ – feels stigmatised with many companies rebranding the term in an attempt to make the position more relevant. First rolled out by banks trying to trap dishonest employees, associations with people that just wanted a free meal created a negative impression in the 1990s and 2000s. Having said that, every time I tell anyone that I am the founder of a mystery shopping service, the response is always “ooh, I would be good at that”. Spoiler alert: they rarely are.
What is a mystery shopper? In short, a customer who provides feedback on a service or experience. Sometimes they are fully compensated but at other times it is a part compensation towards their feedback. The data gathered is reported back to the client / restaurant / hotel allowing teams to take real-time action from their customers. That’s the official line. The reality is one of rollercoaster emotions, genuine moments of joy, and sheer hilarity. They do not, as so many say to me, wear a trench coat, or a fake moustache.
What is a mystery shopper, not? Simply, a food critic. A travel writer. The Anthony Bourdain of Dubai. They are absolutely not a ‘Karen’ looking to admonish a sloppy service. Almost every member of staff that works for our clients gets out of bed and tries their best. They want to do well; they crave the delivery of good service. What staff do not need is someone coming in looking to catch them out but someone who can report objectively about what happened without bias or (too much) judgement.
I started off as a mystery shopper back in the 1990s with UK specialist companies before taking it on as a role within the Marriott / Ramada group of hotels. I’ve seen pretty much everything and it’s eye-opening when you start to look for the finer points of hospitality. Naturally, teams being mystery shopped are elevated to CIA levels of awareness in trying to spot you. Some, however, are more C&A (one for the UK readers over 40) than CIA.
APEX itself was born from a hospital visit. Shoddy customer service forced me to leave and drive to a nearby hospital. Since that day, my family and other families that followed my recommendation have spent well over half a million dirhams in insurance money elsewhere. That was the day I decided to launch a company that looked at all industries, not just F+B or traditional hospitality. A smile costs nothing.
On one visit to a well-known hotel, I was suspicious that the team knew I was a mystery shopper. It could not have been confirmed more emphatically when I gave my room number to one server and he replied, “ooh, it’s you. We’ve been told to be extra nice for you”, before sending up a complimentary bottle of wine to the room. I’m not sure he got that right, to be honest!
Among the incredulity of how some people behave in a public setting, are some stars and moments of human connection that make it all worthwhile. Seeing the genuine joy of those who win the coveted (says who? Me? Yes.) APEX Outstanding Service Award. Not just for the winner but with their teams and their bosses, who are inevitably softened from their original on-edge stance when we start to work together. With one company, we had the power to issue a ‘You’ve been mystery shopped and blown me away’ instant feedback letter. They cry, I cry.
My hero of Mystery Shopping is Gordon Ramsay. We have pilfered his methods, and seemingly throwaway comments have become part of the APEX playbook. No, we’re not sharing what makes us special here. In his brilliant, but underrated, 2010 series, Ramsay’s Best Restaurant, Ramsay used mystery shoppers to see how service was when the cameras were not there. If you’ve not watched it, please do. He tasked the shoppers with making complaints to see how they were handled. Unfortunately, at Nahm Jim – a fantastic Thai restaurant in St. Andrews, Scotland – they got it badly wrong. The secret diner suggested he wanted to try a bottle of wine and queried what might happen if he did not like the wine. It escalated in minutes to the waiter threatening to call the police. Mortifying. The clip is here for you to watch through your fingers.
My funniest moment was mystery shopping university Open Days in the early 2000s. A visit to Bolton University landed me on a tour led by a student ambassador. A young man who suffered from a lack of knowledge aligned with a lack of confidence. He took us into the library and said, “this is the library”. He stopped, looked at his notes and upgraded to “this is where you can get books”. Brilliant. We moved onto another room called the Presentation Room. Another check of his notes and he stammered “this is where you can do presentations”. Bless him, I gave him the kindest feedback possible and truly hope his managers took him out of the firing line.
Finally, a nervy shopper might not fully read the brief. A very dear friend of mine offered to help when we were doing mystery reservations for a local car garage. She’s one of our best mystery shoppers but somehow, she ended up trying to book her rental car in for a service. Rather than quitting while she was ahead, she then followed up with a story that she “like to give rental cars back in good condition so I get them serviced”. Brilliant thinking from a genuinely kind person.
Mystery shopping is not easy. Service itself is even harder. Somehow, I’m in the middle of the two and I love it. Keep the instances of human touch and the hilarious tales coming.
Image credit: Pinterest
With over two decades of experience in food writing and hospitality consultancy, Matthew has chronicled the evolution of the Middle East’s dining scene for international titles and regional platforms alike. A Key Opinion Leader and occasional judge, as well as the founder of APEX Mystery Shoppers, he brings a unique perspective shaped by thousands of restaurant visits across Europe and the GCC.
