Thread: Regular Eating Out = Job?

So I'm a mystery customer, I can't tell you what site or what companies I do it for but i eat out at least 2 times a month. I'm going to start SW next Monday, what do you think would be best for me to do as I don't want to give up my hobby/job?

Any advice on how to make there 'healthy options' really healthy since they tend to twist the truth a bit don't they.

Once you've done a few weeks on the diet you have a feel for which dishes are most SW friendly. It will really depend from restaurant to restaurant. And yeah "healthy option" is often healthy but not necessarily SW friendly - bearing in mind all the different types of diet people might be on it won't suit all of them.

Don't be afraid to ask for tweaks to meals eg leaving off an ingredient, asking for no oil/butter/ asking for dressing on the side.

Don't forget lots of "regular" diners would be on diets or have allergies or other requirements so actually your reviews and feedback may be improved by seeing how well they respond to your requests for changes to meals....

I think you could turn this to your advantage - if you are "secret shopping" I assume that you are making notes on how helpful and cooperative people are? You can really test this out in restaurants by asking for information on butter/oil, etc., or for sauces/dressings to be served on the side, or for any other tweaks that you might think of.

In any case you are only doing this twice in a month - if you do find you are not eating the right things, a bit of fiddling around with your syns should cover it.

When ever I'm out I always look for grilled chicken/ steak salad, dressing on the side, sometimes with a jacket potato (no butter).
Good luck

Originally Posted by AnnaFaraday

I think you could turn this to your advantage - if you are "secret shopping" I assume that you are making notes on how helpful and cooperative people are? You can really test this out in restaurants by asking for information on butter/oil, etc., or for sauces/dressings to be served on the side, or for any other tweaks that you might think of.

In any case you are only doing this twice in a month - if you do find you are not eating the right things, a bit of fiddling around with your syns should cover it.

Mostly you have a case to work on, most of the time you are told what to and when to ask for things. Like you aren't allowed to add on sides, they must be offered, I however could wait to see if they say anything about my dish, like offering a type of dressing and then say, can I have it on the side. My next ones Saturday, i have to have a starter, main and dessert to complete it. Start could be a simple salad, dessert would be the hardest I think? Fresh fruit if they do it?

Most menus these days tend to offer some kind of fruit desert, or a sorbet wouldn't be too bad.

Sounds like a fascinating job. Do your "targets" ever realise what you are doing? (Sorry, maybe you can't answer that question - don't mean to put you on the spot!)

Yeh, twice a month isn't going to mess you up too much, But i would be worried about the desserts like! Lol I'm sure if you keep your syns right the rest of the time you will be fine, and people are right, you do get a feel for what sort of things to order

Just a thought (as I have no real idea of what your job entails) but just because you have to order 3 courses (and obviously try every part of each course), do you have to finish it? A SW friendly course, eat it all - a not so SW friendly course, try each element but not finish the whole thing?

I don't know if that would be possible (in fact, I'm pretty sure that would be IMpossibe when it comes to desserts!! - well for me, anyway!)

I have come to realise that I eat out for one reason or another twice a week and while I try to make the right choices, temptation this often is a struggle! I am tempted to do 1 month of no dining out to see if it makes a difference! Just need to pick my month!
I would suggest seeing if you can do a month doing mystery dining without it being too difficult. Otherwise can you substitute your assignments to non dining ones? I have done it before and had choices of shopping instead? Good luck x

Thanks guys, I won't worry too much.

I'm yet to start SW because I ended up working the day I choose to go and not remembering the diet very well I don't know how to start... starting seems to be the most difficult task right now! may try Saturdays group as it's the same leader but move to Mondays when I'm not working as it's a better time for me.