EXPLORING CATERING SERVICES QUALITY USING MYSTERY SHOPPING

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present mystery shopping as a method for evaluating the quality of catering services. Design/ Methodology/ Approach – The paper is based on desk and field research. A literature review and empirical research were conducted, including 72 catering facilities in the Republic of Croatia. The quality of restaurant, bar and hotel services was investigated. Mystery shoppers used a semi-structured form as a research instrument and evaluated the quality of services according to 36 criteria classified into seven categories. Findings – The research results are encouraging, although there is room for improvement in some categories. The categories Bill and farewell of the guest and Staff and service were rated the best. The worst ratings were given in the Location of the catering facility category. Mystery shoppers also gave 47 suggestions for improving the quality of services. Originality of the research – This research complements existing scientific research on mystery shopping in tourism and hospitality. It also has significant practical value because it clearly shows how, with relatively little effort, the service quality of a catering facility can be examined, and opportunities for improvement can be identified.