CRJ #2

Overall Time: 4 pm - 6:15 pm

Left Side of Paper: Observations = "-"
Right Side of Paper: Thoughts and Questions = "*"

Location: Rio Grande - restaurant
Time: 4 pm - 5:30 pm

- we are seated in a 4 person booth. There are 4 place mats, 4 sets of silverware, condiments, and specials menu. Table is clean.
*At fast food restaurants you must grab all your own condiments from a condiment stand. Tables are not always clean.

-There is Spanish music playing. It sounds like polka music with Spanish lyrics.
*Does the music ever get to the employees? They work 6+ hour shifts and must listen to this "theme" music the whole time.

-Our waitress brings out chips and salsa. There are 2 kinds of salsa. one kind is in a red cup and the other in a white cup. The red cup holds the hotter of the two salsas.
*These chips and salsa are free, something that is not offered at fast food restaurants.

-The restaurant is nicely decorated with objects of Mexican culture. This makes the restaurant more inviting and adds a sort of fun factor to the place.
*This is another thing usually found in only sit down restaurants, for the most part. Many Macdonald's are taking on themes of their own. This is determined by the owner. Could decoration and atmosphere be a major condition customers look at when choosing a place to eat?

-There are numerous fliers hanging from the ceiling advertising different Mexican made beers.
*This type of advertisement can also be seen in many fast food restaurants.

-The food is brought out fairly quickly. The different parts of the meal are neatly placed on the plate.
*This is very different from fast food. Fast food items are individually wrapped and placed on a tray. When the food is open and presented properly it just seems more appetizing. However it took about 10 mins longer to get our food than it would at a fast food restaurant.

-Bill is brought out to us. The cost is $11.
*This amount is about double what I would pay at a fast food restaurant. I wonder if i can write off the dinner to my teacher, it was kind of like a business diner.

Location: Rio Grande - kitchen
Time: 5:30 - 6:15

-They are short staffed. There is one cook and the owner making the food.
*Why are they short staffed? Is it harder working short staffed at a fast food restaurant or at a sit down restaurant?

-As one order goes out another comes in. The owner and cook are moving fairly quickly.
*This is a lot like how a fast food restaurant works.

-There is one dish washing cleaning incoming dishes. I over hear a waitress say it is the dish washers first day working.
*This would explain why he seems to be moving so slow.

-As orders are filled, they are brought out to the customers by the waitresses.
*Fast food requires that you wait while your food is put onto a tray and then the customer carries their own food out and finds a table.

-The owner is losing her temper from the stress of the moment. She yells at the cook and throws lettuce at him.
*There is also a lot of stress in the sit down restaurant business. Its time for me to cut my observations short.