Restaurant Evaluators

DO NOT WORK WITH THIS COMPANY!!!
I am still trying to get my reimbursement from an evaluation I did in August 2009!!! This is not worth anyone’s time! No one responds back… I finally got an email response stating that they would take care of it ASAP but that was 2 months ago and nobody has called back…

Chris and Lucy, I was in the same boat as you. I had been doing reviews for them since 2004 and back then, they were great. I’d always have toask about my payment but they paid around 30 days after the shops. Then payments started to slow, sometimes taking months, around 2010. I never missed a deadline and wrote great reviews. In early 2011, they owed me for Sprinkles Cupcakes and Park Grill in Chicago. I called, emailed, left messages. When I did catch Karen she said they would pay but they didn’t. Finally I filed with the BBB. Around the time the BBB contacted me, SURPRISE, a check appeared. I closed the BBB complaint and closed my account with
. I needed my money and it took months and months to get it, but I realized I was lucky to even get it. While I was waiting, I email Sprinkles because I figured they would want to know. They sent me a nice reply and said they would check into it. I think I also got a similar reply from Park Grill. Once upon a time, this was a cool business and fun to work for. I visited some really nice restaurants and hotels. Coyle Hospitality is a great company you might want to check out. Good luck, sorry you didn’t get your money. I believe Karen once told me their main office was in Seattle or somewhere near. That was consistent with where my last few checks were sent from.

Did job in July — wasn’t paid and now appears they are shut down

It’s confirmed. They are closing their doors. Shame on them for continuing to recruit and ask for reviews knowing they couldn’t pay.

Appears they have shut down since the number I have listed for them has been disconnected and they are not returning any of my emails. I’m owed at least $ 60 for a Sprinkles evaluation in Palo Alto but doubt i’ll ever receive the money without having to take them to small claims or find additional contact information through Sprinkles corporate directly.
If anyone else has already started a suit against them please message me.
I also just submitted a complaint to the BBB. It only takes a few minutes to do and I’m sure if they get enough complaints they’ll really start looking into it.

If there were a way to give this company negative stars, I would. I do shops for a few other companies and have never had an issue with reimbursements. I saw the list of restaurants and figured I would give Restaurant Evaluators a shot. Big Mistake!!! I spent close to $ 200 and was never reimbursed. Every time I contacted them about my missing money, I was given the run around and told the check was being cut that day or that I should just send an email. I’ve filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Maybe they’ll have better results than me.

I did a shop for Restaurant Evaluators on 3÷17÷11. They were adament that my paperwork be turned in withing 24 hours and gave me critiques on how to write a better review. I submitted all papeword properly and am owed $ 160. 3 MONTHS LATER I HAVE STILL NOT BEEN REIMBURSED. DO NOT WORK FOR THIS COMPANY!

IN SHORT, RUN THE OTHER WAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN…
In July, 2009, I completed an assignment to evaluate a local restaurant in exchange for writing a long, detailed report and reimbursement of expenses up to $ 125 for lunch. I received a high grade from them on this evaluation.
Evaluators front their own money on behalf of the business named Restaurant Evaluators. When we uphold our end and meet their high review standards, we deserve prompt reimbursement. They state they reimburse in 30 days.
As of February 5, 2010, I had made seven (7) attempts to be reimbursed my money, using their «ticket system», email, voicemail, the BBB and the Illinois Attorney General. They did not bother to acknowledge my attempts to collect this debt.
Beginning on February 5^th, 2010, I left long, detailed, pointed *hourly* messages on their VM system, as they do not answer their telephone, ever. I finally was reimbursed on February 15, 2010. And they never acknowledged there was a problem, they just stuck a check in the mail.
Evaluators, beware. If you want to get paid/​reimbursed for your work, avoid Restaurant Evaluators, as you will not see your money for a long time, if at all, and if you do, it will be after you spend many hours over a long period of time. Do yourself a favor, forget RE and the report, and take yourself out to dinner instead.

You may think this sort of thing sounds cool, essentially getting paid for the kind of reviews you would write on Unilocal anyway.
But don’t. Just don’t.
Bottom line, they don’t pay you. They say they will, but they won’t. They won’t respond to emails asking after your pay but they’ll continue to bomb your inbox with new review «opportunities.»
Despite what my boyfriend may claim… I do not work for free. In this case, I bought myself an education. And now I’m sharing this education with whomever reads this review.
Pretty much everything that could go bad, will. So just do yourself a favor and avoid this company.

Whatever you do — DO NOT — repeat — DO NOT engage in business with this company.
The website looks professional, the emails you will receive look professional, but the way the company handles its business, as in reimbursing their «employees» aka you, the evaluator, is beyond anything.
You wont be able to call them, they will not reply to your emails demanding compensation.
Don’t trust what they describe on their website to when to reimburse you for your work done, they will fail.
Again, lets repeat together:
DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT WORKING FOR THIS COMPANY

Still haven’t been reimbursed. I received an email from them in February saying how they are basically underwater and have a backlog of reimbursements. Don’t waste your time, please!

Do yourself a favor and do not work for them. Spending upwards of $ 150 out of pocket and waiting 5 months for reimbursement will give you an ulcer.
Anonymous

Do not work for this company! They pay you for the first couple of jobs, and then you’re out of luck. They will not return calls, and just move on to the next shopper. No wonder they don’t belong to MSPA

I performed an evaluation for Restaurant Evaluators in December of 2009 which is now overdue for payment. After repeated emails and phone calls to the company, I received a generic one line email that I would be next in line to be paid. I still have not received the payment however, and all calls and emails since have gone unanswered.
This company has very rigid standards for their evaluators, but cannot be bothered with the common decency of a reply when they are overdue on payments to those who make their business possible.
This company has all of the earmarks of one that will be going under very soon. Be warned if you take assignments for them, their promise to reimburse within 30 days is worthless!

I have been a secret shopper since 2005. It is a great job with lots of perks-​flexible hours, cash payments, etc. in addition to my full-​time position. I have worked with about 10 different companies and had great experience.
Now, for company 11, Restaurant Evaluators. I completed my shop on time, and received positive feedback from my account manager. Guess what? I never received payment. It has been over 60 days. I was supposed to be paid 10-​12-​2009 via PayPal. I have emailed the company 3xs and called everyday. No one returns my call and no one ever answers the phone.
I have never had an experience like this before with a mystery shopping firm. I would never recommend this agency to anyone. I am called the BBB tomorrow.

This company is the ABSOLUTE WORST, full of incompetents and liars. I had some major problems with Restaurant Evaluators. They owed me well over $ 200 for 2 NYC shops. They pulled the same b.s. many others have experienced: they ignored emails, kept referring me to their trouble ticket section, and told me the check was in the mail ad nauseum (maybe they use the Pony Express?). In any event, I got fed up and wrote to the State of Illinois Attorney General’s office (they are located in Chicago). I copied the company on the letter and lo and behold the check came promptly. First, I advise you to never take a shop with this company. Many people have experienced the same runaround and outright lies. But if you have and are still waiting payment, don’t play their games. Write to the AG’s office (google them for address). The more people who file complaints the sooner this disreputable company will get its act together or go out of business like perhaps it should.

Restaurant Evaluators is a mystery shopping service for Chicago-​area restaurants. The company is paid by restaurants that seek feedback from the perspective of a customer on areas such as cleanliness, promptness and efficiency of servers, quality of food, and bar security. In turn, Restaurant Evaluators will reimburse a shopper for the price of a meal plus tip for providing extensive feedback with answers to 250 or more multiple choice questions and essays.
The paradox here is Restaurant Evaluators provides poor service itself. How about that! Here is a company which is in business to conduit information on service, and they in turn are a poor service provider! I conducted two mystery shops for Restaurant Evaluators, and on both occasions they paid me late. In fact they were so delinquent with their reimbursement that I had to call and cast a reminder. To top that, the people at Restaurant Evaluators — who would rather shield themselves behind a website — are rude once you remind them that there is no way the check is STILL in the mail.
Restaurant Evaluators isn’t worth 15%.