Mystery visitor scheme reveals customers' frustrations

Failing to check on a customer during a meal and not saying goodbye are among the biggest frustrations for pub-goers, a mystery shopper survey has revealed.

Leicester-based brewer Everards' Mission Enjoyable has shown an overall increase in satisfaction from 80-83 per cent this year among their pub-visiting "agents" - which now total 1,200.

The scheme, in its second year, allows members of the public to act as "agents" to conduct mystery visits of its tenanted estate.

In return an agent receives £10-£15 of capital bonds or brewery shop vouchers.

In the latest round of visits, most pubs scored highest in their drinks service.

However, some agents were frustrated over whether they were checked on during their meal, food times not being advertised and whether they were asked if they wanted anything after their meal.

The majority of pubs also failed to give customers a final farewell.

Other findings were that:

• unfriendly and unhelpful staff results in bad word of mouth;

• most customers who received good customer service commented on it and said they would return

• there were frustrations when food was unavailable due to the chef being sick or on holiday.

Erika Hardy, Everards' marketing manager, said: "Mission Enjoyable works for us on many levels.

"We are engaging with our customers and because it's true customer feedback, there is real value in it."

As a result of its success, Everards is planning to make the initiative a more frequent activity, and already has a separate area of its website dedicated to it.

Meanwhile, the brewer's Project William scheme, which allows smaller brewers to run and sell their beers though Everards-owned pubs, continues to thrive.

The Royal Blenheim in Oxford, being run in conjunction with Oxforshire-based brewery White Horse, opened last month - the seventh under the project.