Ep 4. Catch of the Day

In Mystery Diners season 3 episode 4, titled "Catch of the Day," the team is called upon to help Lenny, the owner of Berardinelli's Family Restaurant, located in San Diego, California. Lenny suspects that his seafood supplier is short-changing him on his orders, and he is losing money as a result.

Charles Stiles, the host of Mystery Diners, sends in the team to pose as customers in order to investigate Lenny's suspicions. Lauren, the lead undercover investigator, orders the seafood dishes on the menu and pays close attention to the portion sizes. Meanwhile, server Patrick is tasked with keeping an eye on the kitchen and the staff to see if they are involved in any wrongdoing.

As the investigation unfolds, the team discovers that Lenny's supplier is not only short-changing him on his orders, but is also selling him lower quality seafood than what he is paying for. The supplier is pocketing the difference and Lenny is left to absorb the losses. Additionally, the team discovers that one of Lenny's waitstaff is involved in the scheme and is taking kickbacks from the supplier in exchange for looking the other way on the fraudulent orders.

To catch the supplier and the corrupt waiter in the act, Charles devises a plan to stage a fake seafood order and have the supplier and waiter show up to make the delivery. The team sets up hidden cameras in the parking lot to capture the exchange and things quickly escalate when the supplier and waiter realize they have been caught.

With the evidence obtained, Charles confronts the supplier and the waiter, revealing that their actions were not only fraudulent but also putting the health of Berardinelli's customers at risk by serving subpar seafood. The supplier agrees to reimburse Lenny for the fraudulent orders and provide him with the quality seafood he paid for in the future. The corrupt waiter is let go from his position and the remaining staff is retrained on proper food safety and handling procedures.

In the end, the Mystery Diners team is successful in helping Lenny uncover the truth behind his suspected loss and is able to help him make changes to ensure that his restaurant is serving top-notch seafood to his customers. "Catch of the Day" is a compelling episode that shows the importance of keeping a watchful eye on your business operations and having a team you can trust to help you uncover any potential fraudulent activity.