How To Become a McDonald’s Secret Shopper

Mcdonald’s, founded in 1940, is one of the world’s largest fast food chains. It’s popular for serving amazing burgers and fries with the same delicious taste, no matter where you order them.

However, maintaining its high-quality standards and ensuring customers enjoy their dining experience whenever they visit McDonald’s is not easy for this multi-national American fast food chain.

It has invested huge amounts of money in training its staff and setting up processes that ensure the highest quality standards and customer service.

It also requires Mcdonald’s to monitor its restaurants and ensure that the team managing the store adheres to all the guidelines laid down by it and follows the intensive training given to them.

One of the programs it runs to check on the efficiency of its team is the highly popular McDonald’s Secret Shopper, wherein select people are paid to visit its restaurants and secretly rate the restaurant based on a pre-decided questionnaire.

It’s a great opportunity to enjoy your favorite Mcdonald’s meals for free and get paid for it.

Due to the benefits of this program, quite a few people have one underlying question in their minds whenever they visit Mcdonald’s.

How To Become a McDonald’s Secret Shopper?

Getting a free meal from Mcdonald’s is a dream come true for quite a few people. However, that’s not easy and may require you to sign up as a Secret Shopper to be eligible for one.

In this article, we look at how you can become a Mcdonald’s Secret Shopper.

McDonald’s Secret Shopper

Quite a few restaurant chains invest in secret shopping programs, also known as mystery shopping programs to get an actual on-ground report of how their frontline teams interact with customers and the quality of the meals served.

Mcdonald’s runs a similar program to gauge the service levels, and food quality customers experience in their restaurants. In addition, its Secret Shopper program helps it rate its restaurants and teams based on different parameters.

The findings of the secret shoppers are used to grade the restaurant internally.

In the words of McDonald’s, the role of the mystery shopper and why it uses them could be defined as;

“We believe that every customer should receive the same service standards, food quality, and cleanliness, no matter who or where they are. To make sure of this, we send in mystery shoppers at peak periods to see how well each restaurant handles the demand of a busy service.”

Become a Mcdonald’s Secret Shopper

Mcdonald’s does not hire secret shoppers directly.

Instead, it outsources its secret shopper requirements to external agencies to ensure that the survey is conducted in a transparent, ethical manner, with the identities of the secret shoppers remaining secret.

While the list of agencies that Mcdonald’s works with for its secret shopper records are not public, you can always sign up with mystery shopping program agencies and check if they also work with McDonald’s once selected.

McDonald’s Secret Shopper Requirements

The parameters for hiring secret shoppers are the same for most companies. They usually hire people with keen observation, are detailed in their work, and can be trusted to write reviews/feedback without bias.

Apart from this, some of the other basic requirements to be a secret shopper are:

1. Age Requirements

To be a secret shopper, you need to be a minimum of 18 years of age.

2. Access to a Computer & Internet

While you do not need to own a computer, you should be able to access a computer and internet connection to communicate with the agency and send in your reports.

Apart from this, you also need access to a phone with a camera, as some assignments may require you to share a photo or video of your visit to the store and observations.

3. Be Discreet and Anonymous

You should remain discreet while in the restaurant and not proclaim yourself a secret shopper unless instructed.

Make sure you do not linger too much in one area or make notes in an area where the restaurant staff can observe you.

4. Follow Guidelines Accurately

You must be able to follow the guidelines issued to you on the intimate shopping experience, exactly as defined by the agency.

You must completely check all the parameters assigned to you and record your observations accurately without deviating from the objective.

All your reports must be written without spelling errors or offending language. It should be factual and based on your observations during your visit to the restaurant, not hearsay or communication from someone else.

Moreover, you must complete the assignment and submit the report within the timelines shared with you. If you cannot, the same must be communicated to your team leader immediately.

McDonald’s Secret Shopper Perks

Apart from free meals and getting paid for your time, you will be satisfied knowing that you helped improve the food and customer service standards of the restaurant you visited and shared your report.

Based on their availability, you may also be entitled to special discount coupons/vouchers as an additional reward for your intimate shopping experience.

Conclusion

Maintaining its restaurants’ high-quality food and customer service standards worldwide is difficult for Mcdonald’s.

That’s why it invests in secret shopper programs to get an accurate picture of how things are managed at its restaurants so that it can further improvise the quality and customer service levels at that restaurant.

Becoming a secret shopper for McDonald’s has some great rewards. Still, visiting any Mcdonald’s restaurant is difficult and requires discipline, observance, and accuracy.

If you are keen on being a mystery shopper for Mcdonald’s, you can look up any agencies that hire people for mystery shopping programs. It’s a great way to enjoy delicious meals while supplementing your income.