Ep 1. Cheese-Burgler

In the season 3 premiere of Mystery Diners, titled "Cheese-Burgler," the team is called to investigate a restaurant in Ventura, California called Bluff Burger. The owner, Tom, has noticed a decline in his profits and suspects one of his employees is stealing from him. He has also received complaints from customers about poorly made burgers and missing ingredients.

To get to the bottom of things, Charles Stiles sends in mystery diners Annalisa and Chad as a couple looking for a quick meal. While they wait for their food, they observe the staff and note any suspicious behavior. Soon enough, they notice that one of the cooks, Marcos, is taking food out of the kitchen and putting it in his car.

The mystery diners report their findings to Charles, who confronts Tom and shows him the evidence of Marcos's theft. Tom is shocked and saddened, as Marcos has been working at Bluff Burger for years. However, he agrees to let Charles take over for the night and set up a sting operation to catch Marcos in the act.

Using hidden cameras and microphones, Charles and the mystery diners watch as Marcos steals more food and even some cash from the register. When he tries to leave the restaurant, Charles and Tom confront him and he is forced to admit his wrongdoing. Marcos is fired on the spot and Tom is grateful to have finally solved the mystery of the missing ingredients.

However, the mystery diners still have one more issue to investigate: the complaints from customers about poorly made burgers. They go back in as themselves to order burgers and observe the cooking process. They notice that the grill is not being cleaned properly and the burgers are overcooked and dry. They also catch another employee, Laura, using her own personal ingredients to make her own special burger.

Charles confronts Tom with this new information and they both agree that changes need to be made. Tom decides to hire a new grill cook and implement better cleaning practices. He also speaks with Laura and lets her know that using her own ingredients without permission is unacceptable.

In the end, Tom is grateful for the Mystery Diners' help in solving both issues at Bluff Burger. With Marcos gone and new procedures in place, he hopes to improve his profits and make his customers happy once again. The episode ends with a positive note as the mystery diners enjoy their properly made burgers and Tom looks forward to a brighter future for his restaurant.