Spend at least one hour at a restaurant and write an essay in which you critically analyze how space and place condition consumption to produce a particular ‘dining experience’ for customers. Pay particular attention to:
The aesthetics of the space: Its size, arrangement, décor, acoustics, smell, and textures
The menu: The types and quantity of dishes offered, as well as their descriptions and ordering/arrangement on the menu
The food: Its presentation, smell, and taste
The employees: How they look, the clothing they wear, how they communicate with each other vs. customers, the tempo of their movement, etc.
The customers: How they look, the clothing they wear, how they communicate with each other vs. workers, how their movement is choreographed by the space, how they eat, etc.
Like all analytic papers, this one should include a clear Introduction that concludes with an arguable thesis wherein you identify the type of experience produced for diners and how it is produced, a Body in which you elaborate and support your thesis, and a Conclusion in which you re-state your thesis, summarize your support, and leave the reader with something additional to think about. Your support should incorporate key ideas from at least three course texts to demonstrate your ability to apply course concepts in meaningful ways.
The paper is due in hard copy form (with field notes stapled) at the start of class on the prescribed date and a soft copy (no field notes) is due to Canvas by the deadline.
Submission of text that was produced in part or in whole by a generative AI program like ChatGPT, Grammarly, Spinbot, Chatsonic, Claude, etc. is a violation of academic integrity and will result in formal discipline by the University after the first occurrence (as recommend by the University’s Student Conduct Office). You are encouraged to write your paper in a Google doc or in a Word doc with the ‘track changes’ feature enabled so that you can furnish evidence of your writing process should the instructor or Student Conduct Office have questions about the integrity of your work.
