Campus Dining Mystery Shopping Case Study | Confero
Campus dining mystery shop study undertaken for a national food services company over a 10 year period with an average of 500 shops per year is detailed in this case study.
The Challenge
A national provider of residential and retail food services for college campuses wanted to understand how well its dining employees were meeting customer expectations.
Key questions included:
- Were employees friendly, in uniform, and providing great service?
- Were specials properly advertised?
- Were wait times acceptable?
- Was food quality and cleanliness consistently maintained?
Campus dining presented unique challenges:
- Mystery shoppers needed access to restricted campus areas.
- Parking was often limited.
- Evaluations had to be scheduled only while colleges were in session.
The company needed a partner who could navigate these logistical hurdles while delivering actionable insights.
The Objective
The food services company partnered with Confero to:
- Measure customer service, cleanliness, food quality, and merchandising across both residential and retail campus dining locations.
- Provide separate surveys for on-campus and retail sites to enable detailed comparisons.
- Deliver reliable data at scale to support both corporate and regional decision-making.
Our Approach
Confero created a customized campus dining mystery shopping program:
- Tailored Surveys: Separate evaluations for residential dining halls and retail campus eateries.
- Scheduling Management: Shops were carefully scheduled around the academic calendar to ensure relevance.
- Nationwide Shopper Network: Access and logistical challenges were managed through Confero’s extensive pool of mystery shoppers.
- Regional Flexibility: Regional managers could order additional shops independently, giving them more control and faster feedback.
The Results
- Scale and Longevity: The program operated successfully for over 10 years, averaging about 500 shops per year.
- Consistent Performance: Mystery shopping scores frequently averaged in the low 90s, demonstrating strong compliance with standards.
- Trend Tracking: Reporting allowed management to monitor long-term performance and adjust training as needed.
- Operational Insights: The program helped leadership identify opportunities to improve service consistency and food quality across multiple locations.
The Success
The college food services company strengthened its reputation for quality campus dining by using Confero’s insights to refine training, maintain high standards, and reinforce accountability across its nationwide operations.
Key Takeaway
Confero helps food service providers and hospitality companies nationwide evaluate customer experience in even the most complex environments. By overcoming logistical challenges and delivering scalable, longterm programs, Confero ensures actionable insights that improve service, quality, and customer loyalty.
Discover other customer experience research services offered to restaurants.
