Ep 12. Bad Credit

In the twelfth episode of the eighth season of Mystery Diners, entitled "Bad Credit," the team is called to a restaurant facing financial turmoil. The owners of La Casa del Patron are worried about their dwindling profits and suspect that their employees may be to blame. They have specifically noticed that many of their customers' credit cards have been declined, resulting in lost sales.

Charles Stiles sends in Mystery Diners Serena, Brianna, and Deanna to go undercover as a variety of customers to get to the bottom of the restaurant's financial issues. Serena poses as a credit card company representative, while Brianna poses as a cash-paying customer, and Deanna pretends to be a patron looking for a job.

Upon arrival at La Casa del Patron, the Mystery Diners notice that the restaurant appears to be understaffed, with only one server working the entire front of the house. This causes significant delays in service, which leads to Serena's credit card being declined. The owner, Javier, offers her a deal to settle her bill with cash, which she accepts but makes sure to snap a photo of the transaction for evidence.

Meanwhile, Brianna notices that a group of young customers seems to be getting their alcohol from a source other than the bar. After some investigation, she discovers that one of the waiters is selling alcohol from his car in the parking lot. She informs Charles of this development, and he sends in a field agent to confiscate the alcohol and issue a warning to the waiter.

Lastly, Deanna manages to get herself hired as a dishwasher. While working, she discovers that the kitchen staff is stealing expensive ingredients and selling them on the side. The Mystery Diners capture footage of this theft and present it to Javier, who is devastated to learn that his staff has been stealing from him.

After presenting their evidence to the owners, the Mystery Diners reveal their true identities and confront the employees about their dishonest behavior. Javier is saddened to learn that his employees have been stealing from him but is grateful to the Mystery Diners for bringing the issue to his attention.

In the end, Javier takes action to rectify his financial issues by firing the dishonest employees and investing in new security and inventory management systems. Thanks to the Mystery Diners, La Casa del Patron is able to restore its reputation and regain the trust of its customers.