RWS 305W Online: Writing in Various Settings Personal Writing Prompt, Option 1 Working alone or in groups of 2-4, choose a restaurant to review

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RWS 305W Online: Writing in Various Settings Personal Writing Prompt, Option 1 Working alone or in groups of 2-4, choose a restaurant to review. Research the restaurant on social media, Yelp, newspapers, etc. Write a blog (3-5 pages, single spaced, including images), or record a vlog (video blog, mostly scripted and rehearsed, 7-10 minutes), on a website or on social media about your experience dining in this restaurant. Have a specific audience in mind for this review. You should format the document like an authentic blog in a newsletter style (Microsoft Word, File, New, Newsletter; Adobe) with columns, sidebar, featured quotes, graphics, etc., crediting yourself as a blog writer; or like a well-rehearsed vlog, introducing yourself and performing the mostly-scripted show. Pretend that you have loyal subscribers who look forward to reading all of your blog posts or watching all of your vlogs. Include the name of your blog or vlog (Good Eats, Ballin’ on a Budget, Aztec Foodie Squad, Hangry Beast, for example) and the title and date of this particular blog or vlog post. Keep paragraphs in the blog short and readable—appropriate for this genre. Feel free to use an informal and humorous tone with your audience. Narrate a story about your experience eating out at this restaurant. Provide some funny dialogue (real or imaginary) as you review the restaurant, and be descriptive in order to entertain and captivate your audience and to get them to spread the word so that you reach more people and get them to subscribe to your blog or vlog. Tell your audience about this restaurant by providing context. Where is it located (street address and neighborhood)? What kind of restaurant is it and what kind of food is served there? How long has it been in business? Who are the owners and managers? Do you know any of them or their staff personally? Describe the restaurant’s ambiance and what it might reveal about the character of the business. You might mention the exterior and interior color scheme, signs, architecture, furniture, art/ décor, dress code of the staff, authenticity (Irish bartender with a Dublin Irish accent serving Irish cuisine at The Field in downtown San Diego, for example), or any other details. Tell your audience what you ordered and describe the food served. Provide specific details about the appearance, taste, and texture of the dishes and beverages you ordered. Remember that you are making an argument of your own to influence your subscribers (like “Go to this restaurant immediately! You won’t be sorry, y’all!” or “Skip this overpriced place. It’s all sizzle and no steak, yo. Ya know y’all can trust me to keep it real, my squad.”) Notice the forms of rhetorical elements—written, visual, and spoken—and rhetorical strategies 2 and rhetorical appeals employed by the restaurant’s owners, managers, and staff to target specific patrons. How do the servers use rhetoric to encourage you to order more items? Are there any reviews of the restaurant or notes from patrons praising the restaurant displayed? If so, where are those located? What effect do these have on the restaurant’s guests? Describe those guests. Are they couples, families, business people, senior citizens, or single hipsters? How do the servers use rhetoric to connect with guests (and perhaps to increase the prices of guest checks and gratuity/tips)? How does your experience dining in the restaurant compare and contrast with what you read about it when you researched social media, Yelp, etc., or what you heard about it through word of mouth? Did it meet or exceed your expectations? Were you disappointed in any way? Rate the restaurant (for example, thumbs up, thumbs down; 0-4 stars; 0-4 yums or 0-4 yucks). Ultimately, based on your experience, what can you conclude about the role that rhetoric (the art of using language/images effectively and persuasively in spoken, written, and visual forms) plays in the business of this restaurant? End by telling your audience which restaurant you will be reviewing for your next blog or vlog post and encourage any of them who haven’t already done so to subscribe to your blog or vlog! How to Structure This Project Introduction: Greet your readers or listeners and remind them about your blog or vlog. Tell them the purpose of your blog or vlog. Urge them to subscribe if they haven’t already done so. Tell your audience which restaurant you selected, what kind of food is served there, and why you chose this particular place. Tell them where it’s located and give them plenty of context about the restaurant. Describe the restaurant’s ambiance, authenticity, etc. Tell your audience what you ordered and describe the appearance, taste, and texture of the food and drinks. Describe the rhetorical elements and strategies used by the staff to target specific patrons. Describe the other customers dining at the restaurant. Conclusion: Compare and contrast reading and hearing about the restaurant with actually dining in there. Rate the restaurant. Assert a claim about how rhetoric plays a role in the business of this restaurant. Tell your audience which restaurant you will be reviewing for your next blog or vlog. Urge any 3 of them who haven’t already done so to subscribe to your blog or vlog. Criteria for Evaluation Successful writers will 1. Answer all parts of the prompt. 2. Create a cohesive and well edited project. 3. Upload a rough draft of their blog to Turn It In (or upload an outline/script of the vlog with YouTube link to Turn It In before the deadline. 4. Upload the final draft of their blog to Turn It In (or upload the script of the vlog and YouTube link before the deadline. 5. Complete 3-5 pages, single spaced, including images, for the blog, or 7-10 minutes for the vlog. Handout (compiled from reviews written by students in a past RWS 305W class) Using Tone and Details to Engage Readers It’s a Friday afternoon, and I have just picked up my brother and sister from school. I have two hungry teenagers in the car, and all I can think about is getting food in their stomachs—FAST. Upon entering Old Town Mexican Café and Cantina, you can actually smell the food from the street. As soon as you walk into Tokyo Sushi Loha, the sushi chefs and waitresses greet you by yelling, “Irrashaimase!” which means “Welcome!” Not many people can resist an adventure. Adventures are exciting, uncharted, and exhilarating journeys that bring so many unforgettable memories. As a college student, I know that it is a somewhat unspoken rule to have as many impulsive, ridiculous adventures as possible before graduating and going into the real working world. To kick off the Halloween weekend, I devised plans for my own adventure: to go to a classmate-recommended diner in Coronado, CA at 4 A.M. and simply eat breakfast. There is no hostess who takes you to the next available table. Rather, you are your own host who has to keep a sharp eye out for an empty seat in this small restaurant because if you are not paying close attention, someone will snag your seat faster than the cook can say, “Order up!” Instead of a traditional waiter walking up to the table with a pad of paper ready to take down your order, the cook just turns around and says, “Yell what you want when you are ready.” We were a bit taken aback by such informal restaurant language at first, but then we realized how at home it made us feel. The atmosphere of Night and Day Café is kind of like being at home sitting at the kitchen counter while your mom stands at the stove cooking breakfast. Except instead of mom, the one cooking is a big burly man named Keith who has a side ponytail of black curly hair and crazy eyes that could beat you in a staring contest every time. 4 As we pored over the drink menu, I noticed right away that it also corresponded with the restaurant’s theme, with raunchy drink names, such as the “Titty Twister and “Cheri Black GString.” Feeling slightly overwhelmed, I asked our server Liza for drink suggestions. She recommended her favorite, the “Ménage-a-Twat,” promising it would be “like an orgasm in your mouth.” Not wanting to pass that up, I went with her recommendation and wasn’t disappointed. Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies When it came time to order, I felt like I should have a pen and paper because I ran into celebrities there. The celebrities were the three brothers who created Lucha Libre, and they personally took my order, wearing blue jeans with black t-shirts that had “Lucha Libre” on them and a picture of a wrestler. I ordered the famous “TJ” hotdog, and one of the brothers stated, “You can’t have the ‘TJ’ hotdog without getting the ‘TJ’ corn.” Little did he know, I was on to his little rhetorical strategy of persuasion, but, in the end, he convinced me when he mentioned the very cheap price of “only $4.99.” I guess it was his friendly and trustworthy tone that made it seem like I would be doomed for the rest of my life if I did not order the “TJ” corn, too. Remembering from the website, I asked for the Luchador discount, and one of the brothers stated, “Not without buying one of our masks.” What a great discount—to buy a forty dollar mask that is going to save me only a few bucks! Luckily, my friend is a huge Lucha Libre fan, so he went ahead and decided to buy one. However, before my friend could purchase the forty dollar mask, one of the brothers had to mention that the sixty-five dollar mask was more realistic. He explained that the more expensive mask is of a better quality and that the designs on it are more detailed. With him visually showing us the details on the more expensive mask and telling us it was copied from a famous wrestler’s mask, my friend decided to buy it. Towards the end of the dinner, the manager came over and noticed that I had been writing a lot of stuff down and looking around very analytically. He asked me what I was doing, and I told him I was writing a review of his restaurant. Without fail, 10 minutes later, a server came over with a giant bowl of green tea ice cream—on the house—atop shaved ice, lit with glowing red and green balls. Understanding Audience The pizzeria never claims to be unique or outstanding. Luigi, given that his primary customers are looking to get real Italian food that’s cheap and tasty, correctly chose not to waste money on extravagant exterior architectural design and décor when it could be funneled into creating a more affordable and superlative product catered towards young people. I took some more time to look around the place and noticed that the majority of the patrons consisted of two or more people. I was actually the only guy sitting by himself at this Italian restaurant. I wasn’t feeling ashamed, only a little bummed out that all three girls I called to have dinner with me here had turned me down…If I recall correctly, the slogan of Olive Garden was “When you’re here, you’re family.” Well, that’s pretty depressing if I’m sitting here all by myself 5 munching on this lasagna. Roberto’s caters to passing beachgoers with its outside “walk-through window,” allowing for dripping wet bathing suits and sandy feet, as well as the patrons lugging their wet and sandy beach toys. After dark, the restaurant is accented with bright neon lights, attracting the attention of drunken partiers. It is open 24 hours a day every day, causing it to be a popular place when all the bars close. Even later in the evening it is not uncommon to see homeless people cleaning the restaurant in exchange for a meal and a place to loiter…Roberto’s is generous to locals and frequent customers, as well as friendly to the visiting tourists. With its convenient location, delicious food, large portions, fair prices, and great service, it is a true Southern California beach restaurant. Discussing The Role of Rhetoric in a Restaurant’s Business Aspects such as exterior and interior, architectural design, atmosphere, ambiance, layout, reviews, décor, and disposition all serve as windows into the very soul—or character—of a business. Furthermore, they also serve as rhetorical strategies to encourage more orders, thereby increasing profits. The feeling that I got from the restaurant’s rhetoric was that while Pho Saigon Star presented itself as a modern and non-traditional restaurant to better appeal to non-Vietnamese customers, it still offered the authentic flavors one would expect from a traditional, family-owned Vietnamese restaurant. The restaurant logo, menu graphics, dress code of the staff, and furniture suggested that this business knew its demographic, and, based on our experience and the several reviews online, I can conclude that Pho Saigon Star is successful with its approach. To conclude my review of my experience at Olive Garden, the role of rhetoric in the restaurant is prominent. It can be seen in the staff’s behavior, the language of the menu and website, and the advertisements for the restaurant. Rhetoric is the backbone of the business’s success. Without the advertisements, the wording, the attitudes, even the decoration, Olive Garden would be nothing but a chain restaurant that serves reasonably priced, but not more than above average tasting Italian food. Mmm Mmm Breakfast... Rise and Shine,Foodies! Your weekend dose of the best BREAKFAST joints in San Diego by Cup-of-Joe By Joe Flores | 06.14.17 // RWS 305w RISE AND SHINE my fellow San Diegan Foodies! Welcome back to yet another weekend installment of some of the BEST breakfast spots to eat in SD! My blogger name is “Cup-of-Joe” for those breakfast lovers who?ve just decided to subscribe to my blog. You?re in for a real treat, my fellow foodies! Now, wake up! Despite the name of the next breakfast joint I am about to introduce, you are REALLY going to want to get up outta bed as soon as that alarm goes off! This week we are taking a sunrise visit to one of my new favorite breakfast spots in San Diego thus far— Snooze! Story Time Snooze, located in the heart of Hillcrest, is an extraordinary and welcoming A.M. eatery in one of the finest cities in San Diego. Founded by brothers Jon and Adam Schlegel, Snooze began waking people up for delicious breakfast back in April of 2006 in Denver, Colorado. These awesome brothers had a vision of evolving the A.M. dining experience through culinary innovation, an eclectic and energetic atmosphere, and comfortable and friendly service (Snooze eatery website). With their motto being “It only takes a moment to make a difference”— this is exactly what Snooze does: makes a difference. Just as I call ya?ll my “Foodies,” the Schlegel brothers refer to their customers as “Snoozers.” For the past 8 years, Snooze has brought in a diverse group of customers and has satisfied the stomachs of thousands throughout the country—specifically in Colorado, California, Arizona, and Texas. Zzzz...Rise and Shine! The Visit Now that you?ve read a little about the history of Snooze, let?s get down to the nitty gritty about this damn place that magically forced me out of bed at 7am and didn?t allow me to press my snooze button! >:O Just kidding. It was completely voluntary and, well, necessary, after I tell you about the freakin? amazing experience my partner and I had. „Twas the night before June 4th, and all through the house, my stomach was rumbling, even the mouse (Insert drum noise that follows a stupid joke). But seriously, I made sure that I didn?t eat a heavy dinner the night before, so that I could splurge at breakfast and not completely regret my life choices. My partner, Arnold, and I decided we were going to try Snooze for the first time after all the hype we?d heard from friends, family, and that one annoying Yelp app that everyone complains on. When we arrived at 3940 Fifth Ave. in Hillcrest, San Diego, we immediately suffered from the “dang-there?s-no-parkingsyndrome” that most San Diegans endure. After fighting with a couple of hangry folks for a parking spot, we finally found one and began walking to Snooze. Upon arrival, we were awed by the signage out front and the really vibrant orange decor that accompanied the outside of the building. stoked for the wait time, however it was a sacrifice we were committed to make. One thing we loved was that we were able to leave a phone number in which we would be contacted when our table was ready. Very convenient and high tech! Luckily, we didn?t have to go far because Snooze offers different activities and games to entertain customers while they wait. Although horrible at this game, Arnold and I played “bean bag toss” and failed miserably ;( Finally, it was time to go in! “Thank you for waiting! Your table for two awaits. Please see host for further instructions. Enjoy your meal! -Snooze” The orange chairs outside on the patio made it easily recognizable and hard to miss. It really caught our attention and made us excited to see the inside. When we walked in, we were greeted by a young Hispanic fellow named Joe. I joked that he took my name, in which he looked at me with a confused face and chuckled very lightly. Awkward! Joe was a cool cat indeed—a total hipster with long hair, one inch ear gauges, and sweet lookin? tattoos. I?m sure he was wishing that he were wearing his usual attire, which he probably gets from the hipster store nextdoor, Urban Outfitters, instead of wearing the lime green Snooze shirt he was required to wear. The first thing he asked for was how many in my party. When I told him there were two of us, he immediately followed up with, “Okay! Right now we are looking at a 30-minute wait.” My stomach probably roared loud enough for the chefs in the back to hear! Arnold and I weren?t too This was the text that I received on my phone. We dropped the bean bags and ran up to Joe for our “instructions.” We were seated by a young woman with blue hair and tattoos. Erin was her name. Erin was SO nice! She gave us the small brown paper menus and asked us if we wanted to start off with some drinks. Now, what is a sunny Sunday without mimosas?! Hello?! We unapologetically ordered our drinks from the morning cocktails menu. I ordered the Choice Mimosa, which was a combination of sparkling champagne with grapefruit juice, and Arnold ordered the Mmm Mmm Mimosa, which was made with freshly squeezed orange juice and pomegranate liqueur. Ooh yeah, it was the perfect start to our mini Sunday adventure! Ooooo,Aaaah-esthetics Before we could even cheer, we were immediately enthralled by the ambiance of this place. I mean, when I say aesthetically pleasing, I really mean to say Snooze! The atmosphere, decor, color scheme—you name it—was on fleek, as the young people say nowadays (*eye roll). As we first entered the glass doors, we first noticed the color scheme. Snooze uses a very soft blue, green, and orange for their entire decor. It is very appealing to the eyes and exhibits a sense of hospitality and warmth. Before sitting down, we were surprised by the size of the building. When we looked up, it seemed as though you could fly a kite in this place! The ceilings were extremely high. The walls, although just simple cement bricks, along with the visible metal pipes and vents throughout the place, gave the restaurant an industrial look. The beautiful wooden floors were a nice light brown color, totally making it feel like you were in a modern home kitchen ready to feast on bacon and eggs. Since Snooze is an A.M. eatery, their hours of operation are: seven days a week from 6:30am - 2:30pm. Because of this, lighting is never a problem. The large glass windows along with the large skylight window on the ceiling allow the sunniest of suns to beam through the windows, shedding warmth, happiness, and positivity. The host staff that greeted us at the door, Joe and another woman were sure to smile in salutation and kindly welcome us to Snooze. Most of the staff wore a light green, blue, or orange shirt to match the thematic ambiance of Snooze. I did notice that the manager, Alecia Velasco, wore a black polo t-shirt. We were able to decipher which person was in charge simply by the attire and the presence of that person. Alecia did a fine job in greeting customers and leading her staff in a professional yet relational manner. Overall, the ambiance in Snooze was very welcoming. The people who were there to enjoy breakfast were so diverse and truly looked happy to be there. Because we were in Hillcrest, a city known for its LGBT population, we were accompanied by some beautiful and diverse individuals and couples of all shades of color and walks of life. It truly is a family restaurant full of life and open-mindedness. We saw husbands and wives, children, single people, gay couples, straight couples, old, young, black, white, and even dogs! Us, being a gay couple, felt very comfortable and welcomed in this friendly environment. TEN points for equality and inclusion, Snooze! Thumbs WAY UP! :) Prior to visiting Snooze, I asked Arnold to research the ratings of this joint on Yelp, since I don?t really like the app. Whatever! He told me that Snooze Hillcrest had a 4.5 star rating and a total of 4,437 reviews from critics like us all around the SD area. One dish that stood out within the Yelp app was the Pineapple Upside Down Pancake. Being the SpongeBob, tropical, pineapple lovin? guy that I am, it would be a crime if I didn?t try these bad boys! Because I am a social media enthusiast and an Instagram extraordinaire, I took to the official Snooze Instagram to see some of the pictures that people posted. With 31.7k followers, this account sure does reach the salivating mouths of thousands around the globe. I wouldn?t be the same Cup-of-Joe without my actual cup of coffee and side of crispy bacon. I ordered the House Coffee and was able to utilize the little “build your coffee” station located next to the bar full of a early mornin? foodies and drunkies like myself. Don?t judge me, okay?! I added four packets of brown sugar and half-and-half as usual. “Snooze re-energizes the way you think, feel, and ultimately eat breakfast.” -Snooze IG As we sat and chatted about what we were going to do with the rest of our day— kaBAM! Our food was being served to us at our bright orange table. We waited no more than ten minutes for our food. Those chefs were fast indeed. Now for the food that made my life. When Erin placed the hot plate in front of me, I was filled with happiness and immediately took my phone out to snap a picture, „cause ya know, that?s what the cool people do. The aroma of the sizzling barbacoa beef and medallion style hashed browns made my mouth instantly water. The egg was perfectly poached and fluffy for my liking and the pico de gallo smelled fresh and ready to be eaten! Foodie?s Favorite Part [Food,duh!] The time has come for me to share the actual pieces of heaven that we consumed that fine Sunday funday. When Erin gave us the menu, we weren?t just thinking about alcohol, okay? We wanted food too! In browsing the brown, ecofriendly paper menu, I admired how informal the menu was in regards to the simplicity and lack of capital letters for the main options. The food options included silly and creative puns that would make anyone LOL. Our options were: flavors from the hen, the art of hollandaise, our sammies, sweet utopia, like a feather, and ahhh la carte. For those who are already familiar with my favorite choice foods are, you know that I LOVE a mean eggs benedict! I decided to choose from the art of hollandaise section and order the Chilaquiles Benedict which was, according to the menu, “Flavorful barbacoa beef over a stack of ranchero sauced tortillas and melted cheese, with poached cage free eggs, roasted poblano hollandaise, pico de gallo and cotija cheese” (Snooze). Yummmmmy! Of course Arnold, being the sweet-tooth havin? person he is, ordered from the sweet utopia section of the menu and got the OMG! French Toast, which was bread stuffed and topped with vanilla creme, salted caramel, fresh strawberries and toasted coconut. Because my plate was so damn good, I didn?t even have time to look at his because our eyes were glued to our plates in disbelief! But here was his plate: comfortable and most definitely compelled to come back a second time—this time with friends and family so we can show off the food that we got last time and be able to say “I told ya so!” Cup-of-Joe’s Final Rating My fellow hangry foodies, it?s time for my final rating for Snooze A.M. Eatery Hillcrest. Overall, the service was AMAZING and the food was just that as well. After finishing our mimosas, coffee, and two plates of food, we were kindly greeted by Erin again with a few thank you?s and the bill. How inexpensive! Our total was $38.76. What a steal! Especially for the amount of food and beverage we consumed. As we walked out, stomach bloated and all, we said our farewells to Joe and Erin and it was reciprocated. Such nice, friendly people! Egg - cellent Experience Indeed All in all, the numerous rhetorical strategies utilized by Snooze A.M. eatery included the customer service, aesthetically pleasing ambiance, the promotion, the decor, and the friendly welcoming environment help maintain and gain new customers around the Hillcrest area. These intelligent uses of rhetoric are beneficial to the Snooze business as a whole and really satisfy both customers and employees as well. People really feel like a family when they eat at Snooze restaurants. Arnold and I felt so You ready? No? K, I?ll wait. Now? Okay too bad here it goes…. SNOOZE receives: 9.5 cup-of-joe’s / 10 THANKS TO ALL for visiting this week?s installment of Rise and Shine, Foodies! If you are a breakfast lover like myself, please be sure to hit subscribe so you can get all the latest reviews of the best A.M. eateries in SD! Cup-Of-Joe OUT :}