Restaurant Assignment - view this assignment as a .pdf file

Dear Friend,
It’s a fact of life that man has to eat, and in this day and age, nobody knows this better than restaurants. Indeed, the fast food industry is booming like never before. More women are entering the workforce every year, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a stable home life with both parents on the run.
This puts the family unit in a unique position. The food industry is well aware of this plight, and has taken steps to market themselves as the perfect solution to your family’s dilemma - namely - what’s for dinner?

Fast food restaurants have cropped up in most populated areas like weeds. Look at any major intersection and there’s five or six of them, clustered like linebackers on an enemy quarterback. They offer “cost effective” paper-wrapped, stuck-to-cardboard “hot” items served up in minutes, with a widely varied choice. Anything from apple turnovers to deep fried zucchini (i.e., chicken, tacos, burgers, etc.) can be had at just about any hour of the day. The biggest benefit to fast food is the speed by which it’s prepared, and that’s OK if you like that sort of thing.
Yet keep in mind that many of the items offered by fast food restaurants are prepared in advance and nuked on demand. For generations, all the precooked items (like naked hamburgers) offered by fast food joints are kept in warming ovens awaiting your order. Then , employees who don’t care about quality slap it together, squirt ketchup in that general direction, and shove it out the drive-thru window and walla! you are on your way.
Other benefits to fast food include no messy cleanup, no missing ingredients, and everything tastes the same every time. Some people are so hooked on fast food they’ll go there expecting it to be the same, and complain loudly if it tastes different! Very sad. To be so used to fast food that you expect it to be the same every time.

What would you say if I told you that I know of a great place to eat that isn’t fast food? That’s right - you actually have to go inside to order your food. You’re probably driven by this mom and pop restaurant a hundred times and not known what it was - a truly inspirational place to satisfy those hunger pangs! And what a spectacular deal you’ve been missing out on!

There I was at an exhibit, working my butt off being nice to people and standing on my feet all day, not to mention lugging cartloads of books into a hotel lobby so I could sell them. (I work in the educational community - “exhibits” are conferences for teachers to find new resources for the subjects they teach). Needless to say, by the time the day was done, I was tired, crabby and extremely hungry. I would have been happy to slay a personal dragon and chow down on a greasy cheeseburger, but this was not to be.

My boss informed me that she’d made plans for dinner, and I had to go and be ‘nice”. Which, given my present mood, meant that I’d have to go to some fancy restaurant I didn’t like, and try to find something on an overpriced menu I would “settle” for or starve to death. Grumpily, I agreed (what choice did I have?) and we left. All the way to this place, she kept telling me that Tony’s was unlike any other restaurant I’d ever seen before, and grinning at me.
‘Yeah, sure,’ I thought. ‘It probably has goldfish in tanks, a snooty hostess to lead us to some darkened booth in the corner, and a waitress who didn’t care a hoot whether we liked the place or not. Wonderful!’ I’d probably have to smoke in the parking lot like some criminal, just so I didn’t offend the masses. I just knew the valet staff would snicker at me.
This is the kind of place my boss usually chose to eat on exhibit days. Still, I resigned myself to the circumstances, and tried to be patient. I could hear my stomach rumble, and sighed.

We pulled into the parking lot, and lo and behold! there was no valets anywhere in sight. This wonderful place looked like a coney island! I knew then and there that no goldfish were swimming inside for my amusement. We parked the car and entered the restaurant. I stopped dead. Charming wooden beams lined the ceiling, intimate little lamps hung over the booths, and white checked tablecloths were everywhere.
A smiling hostess greeted us at the door and actually asked us how we were! She engaged in polite conversation as she led us through quaint little tables to a smoking booth, and assured us that our waitress would be right with us. I noticed right off that the ashtray was in plain sight.
All around us, people dressed in jeans and T-shirts were talking, laughing and eating, but I didn’t notice much more. I was fascinated by the menu.
I had never seen a menu like this: it looked like a newspaper. I flipped the page - the first page told all about Tony’s - that it was a family owned business thatt opened its doors 30 years before. They prided themselves on their customer service, and assured me (the reader) that they scoured the markets every day searching for supplies worthy of me. Bored (I’d heard that before), I turned the page and found another surprise - the prices on things were about normal, and they had a wide variety of choices.
Our waitress came by, and she was extremely friendly (another shock). We ordered (my boss ordered tacos and hot tea, and I asked for lasanga and a chocolate shake), and she said she’d be right back. What an understatement!

The waitress brought our drinks almost immediately. She set my shake in front of me; it was huge! The shake glass was the size of a carafe, and was piled high with whipped cream and two cherries! Plus, she set a metal mixer down next to me, and that was still half full. Well! I didn’t know what to say except thanks. I nonchalantly lit a cigarette and tried to pas it off as an ordinary occurrence. My boss thought this was extremely funny.
The waitress returned after a few minutes absolutely loaded down with plates and things. She set a basket of six taco shells in front of my boss, and slid a platter full of toppings onto the table. Tomatoes, onions, cheese, hamburger; you name it, it was all there. She proudly informed us that the platter of toppings contained a full pound of hamburger, 6 tomatoes (sliced), 4 onions (chopped), and a half pound of assorted shredded cheeses, and furthermore all the ingredients were market fresh and just prepared. Wow!
Then she set my lasanga in front of me, and all I could do was stare at it. It was the biggest private slice of lasanga I had ever seen. It was at least 8 inches long, 6 inches wide and about 5 inches tall. While I stared at it, she set an enormous basket of breadsticks in front of me and a container of parmesan, all the while explaining that my lasanga contained a half pound of noodles, another full pound of hamburger, the equivalent of a pound of mixed cheeses, plus their very own special recipe for the sauce. She then wished us a good meal and left.

I couldn’t believe it - all this food for seven bucks! There was enough here to feed both me and my twin (if I had one). (My boss’ taco feast was only five bucks.) Warily, I picked up my fork and tried it. Absolute heaven! I swear that lasanga just melted in my mouth. While I was savoring my first bite, the waitress delivered a BLT (with an entire pound of crisp bacon piled on it) and a steak the size of a dinner platter to our neighbors across the aisle. I swear to you on my honor that steak was a foot long, 8 inches wide and 2 inches thick. Quickly I grabbed a menu. That particular steak was eight bucks (the BLT was four bucks)! Another WOW!
I just couldn’t believe it. I had never seen a place that offered such excellent food - let alone Paul Bunyan portions and reasonable prices to boot! I quickly realized that a family of four could buy enough food to last two meals for about the same amount of money they’d spend for one meal at a fast food joint!

I asked the waitress that very question when she came back with our modest bill. Laying it on the table, she said, “All of our money is sunk in our customer obligation. Tony’s offers the highest quality food at the best comparable market value because we believe that if you like us, you’ll tell your friends all about us. We’ll have more business that we can handle, and the happiest customers on the face of the Earth, and that’s all we need.”
Now, that was impressive. I’d never seen a restaurant that was more concerned with customer satisfaction than profit, and immediately I decided to help them. This is exactly why I am writing to you today. But I’m going to go one better.

I believe so strongly in Tony’s philosophy that I am willing to help you experience the restaurant for yourself.
If you reply to this letter within the next 10 days, I’ll offer you a ride to this memorable, fantastic restaurant. I’ll pay for gas, all you have to bring is ten bucks ( to buy the best meal you’ve ever had) and your appetite! Just tell me when you’ll be in town and I’ll hook you up!
You can’t beat a deal like this, and I believe in putting my money where my mouth is. What are you waiting for?

I must remind you this is a limited offer, although I love Tony’s and would welcome any excuse to go there. Call now and reserve your spot!

Sincerely,

Khris Comstock

P.S. - As an added bonus, I’ll even throw in a guided tour to BIRCH RUN - Michigan’s largest outlet mall. It’s just a skip from Tony’s - located just across the street. So call now! Time’s a-wasting and the food is getting cold....

P.P.S. - Oh! I almost forgot! Tony’s is very close to FRANKENMUTH, Michigan’s “Little Bavaria.” As a FREE OPTION - you can choose to visit this historical place on the day you come to my town. Make sure you tell our courteous staff when you call that you want to go there! Bronner’s is located there - the largest year-round Christmas store!
Another juicy tidbit - Frankenmuth is now offering their world famous chicken as a carry out item. For years, this was not a choice - they frisked you as you left to make sure you didn’t carry any chicken out in a baggie, and wouldn’t sell it over the counter. You may want to take advantage of this too!
PSST - They have award winning fudge, too!

To the readers of this: please take a moment and download the PDF. Couldn't incorporate the format for the coupon that follows this!

Tony's

Thanks