Our licensed private investigators have a wide variety of skills and diverse backgrounds. With 30+ years of experience, we have an excellent track record of providing high quality investigation services. From start to finish, our knowledgeable, discreet, and detail oriented staff goes above and beyond to manage your expectations, remain 100% confidential and update you daily as events unfold on your case.
We rely on the best investigative technology and techniques, and comply with the industry’s leading standards for surveillance, locating, record search, and process services.
As a business owner, you’re responsible for protecting your business from fraud, dishonest employees, and malicious customers. There are many reasons companies turn to private investigators as mystery shoppers — it’s a vital way of checking on the real, on-the-ground operations of a business, and it’s far too important to leave to just anyone.
The uncomfortable truth is that some of the greatest threats to a business come from within. An owner can’t be everywhere at once, and what happens on the floor when the boss isn’t watching is often very different from what happens when they are. Mystery shopping closes that gap. It shows you what your business actually looks like to a customer on an ordinary day — and what your employees actually do when they believe no one is evaluating them.
There’s a meaningful difference between a casual “secret shopper” and a licensed private investigator performing integrity work, and it matters more than most owners realize.
When the issue is purely about service quality — was the greeter friendly, was the store clean — an ordinary shopper’s impressions may suffice. But the moment the question involves employee dishonesty, theft, fraud, or other misconduct, you’ve crossed into territory where professional investigation is the right tool. In fact, in certain states, you may not legally hire someone as a secret shopper for these purposes unless they’re licensed.
Private detectives know the law and operate within its bounds — which becomes critical if the shopping uncovers criminal activity. Evidence a professional gathers can be properly documented and, if it comes to that, used in court or in an employment proceeding. Evidence an untrained shopper gathers carelessly may be worthless when you actually need it. Hiring a licensed investigator protects both the integrity of what you learn and your ability to act on it.
A trained investigator posing as an ordinary customer can be planted at bars, restaurants, retail stores, and other businesses to confirm that your staff is behaving according to company policies and procedures. Depending on what you need to know, mystery shopping can surface a wide range of issues:
Employee theft and till skimming. Whether cash is being properly rung up and accounted for, or quietly diverted.
Failure to follow procedure. Whether required policies — from health and safety steps to age-verification for alcohol sales — are actually being observed when management isn’t present.
Poor or dishonest customer treatment. How staff genuinely treat customers, including whether they’re upselling improperly, making unauthorized promises, or being rude or negligent.
Service and quality gaps. Whether the experience your business promises is the experience it actually delivers.
Comparison and competitive insight. How your operation stacks up against expectations or against competitors.
Mystery shopping is a unique way for you, as the owner, to analyze how your business is really operating. The main role of the mystery shopper is to determine whether corporate policy is being effectively carried out at the retail level — the point where policy either becomes reality or quietly falls apart.
If you suspect your employees are mishandling your business or your profits, The Night Owls Agency can help you make that determination by providing a trained shopper to visit your business and report back to you. We focus on the integrity of your employees and give you clear, honest reports on their behavior.
The value of mystery shopping lives entirely in the quality of the report that follows, and this is where professional work stands apart. We describe every aspect of the shopping experience, reflecting both the positives and the negatives — not just a list of failures, but an accurate, balanced picture of what actually happened.
That accuracy matters for two reasons. First, it lets you address genuine problems with confidence, because the findings are documented and reliable rather than one person’s vague impression. Second, and just as important, it protects your employees from unfair treatment — a fair report recognizes good performance as readily as it flags problems. Our reports are suitable for discreet resolution and for constructive evaluations with employees, giving you a factual basis for coaching, correction, or, where warranted, more serious action.
The entire premise of mystery shopping is that it’s invisible. If employees know when they’re being evaluated, they’ll perform to the test rather than reveal their ordinary behavior, and the whole exercise loses its value. Our investigators blend in as genuine customers, drawing no attention and leaving no trace that an evaluation took place.
That discretion also protects the working relationship. Many owners aren’t looking to catch and punish so much as to understand and improve. A well-run mystery shopping program lets you do exactly that — get an honest read on your operation and address issues thoughtfully, without creating an atmosphere of suspicion or accusation among staff who’ve done nothing wrong.
Mystery shopping serves businesses of many kinds, including:
Restaurants and bars (including responsible-alcohol-service verification)
Retail stores and franchises
Hospitality and service businesses
Multi-location operations where consistency across sites is the challenge
Any business where the owner can’t personally observe daily operations
For multi-location businesses in particular, mystery shopping is often the only practical way to see whether the standards set at headquarters are actually being met at every location.
How is this different from hiring a regular secret shopper?
For service-quality feedback, it may not be. But when the concern involves theft, fraud, or misconduct, a licensed investigator gathers properly documented, potentially court-usable evidence and operates within the legal requirements — which an untrained shopper may not.
Will my employees know they’re being evaluated?
No. Our investigators appear as ordinary customers, and the discretion of the visit is what makes the findings meaningful.
Can the findings be used to discipline or terminate an employee?
Our documentation is designed to give you a factual, reliable basis for employment decisions. For any formal action, coordinate with your own HR and legal guidance.
Can you evaluate multiple locations?
Yes — and for multi-location businesses, this is one of the most valuable applications, since it reveals how consistently your standards are met across sites.
We are here to assist you in answering questions you may have in regards to your case. To begin please call, email or submit a request form below.
Serving the entire state of Florida.
Our agents are on standby 24/7 to provide you with a detailed, comprehensive strategy for all your investigative needs.
Once retained, our investigators will be thoroughly briefed on all the details related to your case.
Our highly skilled agents will handle your matter from start to finish with the utmost professionalism while remaining 100% discreet.
At the conclusion of your case and after thorough review, our team will steer you in the right direction whether it be legal or non-legal.
