FAQs

1. Who is Cuisine Undercover?
2. What does Cuisine Undercover do?
3. How do you differ from a secret shopper/diner?
4. What kind of restaurants do you review?
5. How do you establish benchmarks to evaluate my restaurant?
6. Will I know when Cuisine Undercover is coming to my restaurant?
7. What will my Cuisine Undercover report contain?
8. How long will it take to get my Cuisine Undercover report?
9. Look, the economy’s struggling and my bottom line is being hit – hard. Why do I want Cuisine Undercover feedback now?  What’s it going to do for my operation?

1. Who is Cuisine Undercover?
We are a group of marketing and journalist professionals who boast more than 30 years combined experience in the restaurant business, from managing to serving, and reviewing for print and the internet.

2. What does Cuisine Undercover do?
We provide an unbiased analysis of your restaurant, from the moment reservations are made to the moment the dining experience ends.

We offer:

• a customized checklist with back up explanation
• a ‘prototype’ restaurant review that would appear in print or blog
• an action list of recommendations

3. How do you differ from a secret shopper/diner?
The Cuisine Undercover team offers you expertise that you don’t get with a mystery shopper or diner, who just checks off items on a list.  We know food, from the spices to the services. We can discern if a dish is off balance, or doesn’t fit into the scheme of your menu.  We can evaluate your service beyond checking off a box that rates your server’s speed from 1 to 5.

The most important tool of our evaluation is the suggestions we offer to improve your overall operation on both sides of the house. Because we are unbiased by virtue of our longtime journalism training, we see the fine details many people miss. It is these fine details that often can derail an otherwise thriving operation.

4. What kind of restaurants do you review?
Our focus is on tabletop dining, from fast casual restaurants to five-star dining. Our dining experience and expertise covers them all.

5. How do you establish benchmarks to evaluate my restaurant?
You tell us what your expectations are during an upfront interview.  We sit down with you in the restaurant kitchen and taste the food with you as you explain what you look for in taste, looks, and presentation. Or, you may want us to focus on how you create — or don’t create—  ‘a-haa’ moments through attention, ambiance and service.

6. Will I know when Cuisine Undercover is coming to my restaurant?
No, and therefore, neither will your crew. We want the same experience the everyday diner has.

7.  What will my Cuisine Undercover report contain?
A quantitative report tailored to your needs and desires; detailed notes to back up the score; and suggestions for improvement.

8. How long will it take to get my Cuisine Undercover report?
Within two weeks of finishing the on-site evaluations we will meet to discuss our findings and recommendations.

9. Look, the economy’s struggling and my bottom line is being hit – hard.  Why do I want Cuisine Undercover feedback now?  What’s it going to do for my operation?
A Cuisine Undercover subscription is a fraction of your overall budget, and in troubled times, this is an aspect of your marketing budget that should not be ignored. When times are tough, competition is tougher. With Cuisine Undercover’s critical difference, you see yourself as your customers and professional reviewers do. Cuisine Undercover is a service you can’t afford to do without.