Ep 6. Grapes of Wrath

In the episode Grapes of Wrath from season 5 of Mystery Diners, restaurant owners Mark and Lisa contact Charles Stiles and his team to investigate possible theft and misbehavior at their wine bar in southern California. The couple is concerned about the decreasing revenue and suspect that their employees might be the culprits. The Mystery Diners team sets up undercover cameras and audio equipment in the bar to catch the employees red-handed.

As soon as the investigation begins, the team discovers that the problem is worse than expected. One of the bartenders, Shane, is under the influence of alcohol and drugs, which affect his performance and attitude towards customers. Moreover, he is stealing cash from the cash register and giving free drinks to friends, driving the business further in the losses. Another employee, Courtney, appears to be sabotaging the wine bottles, which causes them to leak all over the floor and waste expensive wine.

Charles and his team use various techniques, such as creating a custom drink order to reveal Shane's drug use and having an actor pose as a wine connoisseur to expose Courtney's behavior. The Mystery Diners team also set up a bar swap, where the employees are transferred to a different restaurant, and they face the same behavior that sabotaged the wine bar. While the team gathers evidence, Mark and Lisa watch everything from the control room and are surprised by the results.

Eventually, Charles and his team arrange a meeting with Mark and Lisa and present their findings. The owners are shocked and upset to learn about their employees' actions, but they are happy that they finally have the answers to their problems. With the help of the Mystery Diners team, they decide to terminate the employees involved and implement new security and operation protocols to prevent future incidents.

The Grapes of Wrath episode from season 5 of Mystery Diners is a thrilling and eye-opening experience that reveals the importance of surveillance and security measures in the hospitality industry. Charles Stiles and his team show how easy it is for employees to steal and sabotage a business and how crucial it is to have a competent security system in place. The episode is an excellent example of how Mystery Diners uses creative solutions to solve problems, and it provides a valuable lesson to anyone who owns or manages a business.