Ep 13. Daddy's Girl

In Mystery Diners season 7 episode 13 titled "Daddy's Girl," the team travels to San Francisco to help out the owner of Maggie’s Cafe who is struggling with her daughter Ellena’s management. Ellena is unapproachable and constantly makes excuses for why the restaurant's finances are in bad shape. Alarmingly, the owner can’t reach her even when she’s supposed to be working on the floor.

The Mystery Diners, Charles Stiles and his team, set up hidden cameras around the restaurant and start their investigation. During their first observation, they uncover multiple issues, including staff drinking on the job and giving free food to friends. The team also observes Ellena's lack of interest in her job, frequently excusing herself to be on her phone and frequently leaving the floor to take personal calls. Even worse, the executive chef reveals that Ellena orders expensive plates that are not on the menu and keeps them for herself instead of serving them to customers.

During the second observation, things get even more interesting. Ellena calls for an emergency meeting, where she reveals that the restaurant's location rent is overdue and if it's not paid within five days, the restaurant will be closed. To make matters worse, she requests that the restaurant’s profit margin is increased to sixty percent, an impossible demand for the struggling place.

Charles and the team become even more invested in the investigation, especially when they observe Ellena's boyfriend, Donny, bringing in his own food and selling it to customers. The team notifies the owner and suggests she take decisive action to prevent any further financial loss.

To gather more definitive proof of Donny's illegal activity, the Mystery Diners arrange for a fake equipment malfunction that causes the restaurant to lose access to their point-of-sale system. Donny uses the opportunity to attempt to receive cash payments for his food, allowing the Mystery Diners to collect definitive footage of his fraudulent activity.

The Mystery Diners present the footage to the restaurant's Owner, who is horrified and decides to take in immediate action. Charles and the team call for a staff meeting to address their findings, and Ellena is eventually revealed to be the owner's daughter. The reveal comes as a surprise as the owner had kept that information hidden from customers and other staff.

Ellena is immediately fired due to her disregard for the restaurant’s profitability, the staff members receive warnings for their misconduct, and Donny is banned from the restaurant. The owner is grateful to the Mystery Diners for their help, and the restaurant is now on a path to success.

In the end, the Mystery Diners provide recommendations to ensure that incidents like this do not happen again, including conducting random checks on food expenses and hiring an experienced restaurant consultant to provide advice on financial management.

Overall, Mystery Diners season 7 episode 13 is a compelling and intriguing episode that sheds light on the challenges that restaurants face and the importance of conducting regular staff checks to prevent fraud and other illegal activities.