ASSIGNMENT

As discerning individuals, we frequently engage in an evaluative process.  For example, before we make any major purchase, be it a house, a car, or a computer, we evaluate/compare if this purchase makes the most sense based on our own perceptions of value for money.  Another example of how we engage in the evaluation/comparison process has to deal with the employment process; is one candidate better suited than the other? Why or why not?

For this assignment, you will engage in a thorough evaluation/comparison and write an internal document (memo) based on your findings.  Your boss, the Food and Beverage Manager for the XYZ restaurant, is quite concerned as business has dropped off since a similar restaurant opened nearby.  In order to investigate if this new restaurant is a real threat, you have been asked to dine at the establishment and write a restaurant evaluation.

The aim of the evaluation is to identify if this competitor is a threat or not to your business.  The purpose of this assignment is to teach you the skills of writing an effective evaluation/comparison; the activity of writing a restaurant critique is just one means to achieve this aim.  We could have just as easily asked you to evaluate the user-friendliness of a website, the merits of one automobile’s safety features over another, or the best lap top computer for the money; hopefully, this activity will be a bit more fun while meeting our objectives.

There are five steps that you need to complete for this assignment:

Whenever you are asked to evaluate something, the first step is to identify appropriate criteria (note: criteria is plural; criterion is singular).  Your selected  criteria will be the standard by which the specific features of the restaurant you review will be evaluated.  As such, your selected criteria needs to reflect the desired standard; for example, Friendly Service; Good Value for Money, Warm Ambiance, etc. If you look at the example below, you can see that the writer has identified categories for his evaluation; but he has not established criteria as there is no standard of judgment. 

Please note that the following example is what you SHOULD NOT do:

1. The Sole Proprietor 118 Highland Street Melbourne

2. You will need to visit the selected restaurant at least once but preferably twice for the same meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). While there, take notes about the strengths and weaknesses of the operation based on your selected criteria.  Each student in your tutorial will need to select a different restaurant to avoid duplication, but you can certainly join one another for the meals!
3. Based on your evaluation, you will need to inform your boss if this competitor is a threat or not. Based on the relevant criteria, how does this establishment compare to yours using the same criteria? Your conclusion will form the thesis for your evaluation.  Please note that your task is to evaluate, not make recommendations.
4. You will need to draft a memo of your evaluation. Referring again to the restaurant review example on the previous page, please note the heavy reliance on description; while you want to provide specific examples, your boss does not need to have every minor nuance about the restaurant described in detail.  The style that you want to use will focus on being clear and concise, not flowery or overly-descriptive.
5. Assessment #3 is due by 9:00 am on Friday, 7 April and will be marked on the basis of the attached marking guide.

                                                         SAMPLE SOLUTION

Since the launch of the Newly Refurbished Golden Restaurant on 1135N Fulton Street in Freshno California that is next to the Authentic Restaurant, the hotel has lost a lot of its regular customers. Preliminary results reveal that the Golden Restaurant is performing better than Authentic Restaurant despite the many years that it has been in business. The following criteria were applied to evaluate the competitiveness of the Golden Restaurant against Authentic Restaurant.

Products

The ranges of products in both menus are similar and most of the custom food items are almost the same. Both restaurants seem to satisfy their clientele wholly (Olive Garden, 2014).

Ambiance and Service

The service staffs in both restaurants are well groomed and display professionalism in all their manners. However, Authentic Restaurant’s waiters are not friendly and the music volume seems to be very loud making it difficult to call or ask for service. The Golden Restaurant has piped music which seems to emanate from the roof something which makes it to be soft and soothing to the ears while the waiters are very alert and friendly. You cannot turn around without catching the eyes of two or more waiters. Ordering food is so enjoyable and not laborious like in authentic restaurant where you have to walk to the counter and worse still the waiters keep arguing among themselves and hardly notice your presence unless you shout or threaten to call the manager.