Assignment task:
Read the complaint email below. Choose at least three questions to answer. Your total response would be 100-150 words. You can choose to answer more questions to meet the word count.
Complaint Letter: Urban Plates Email
After a while of wanting to try your restaurant-the menu of which looks so appealing-my daughter and I finally placed an order tonight via Doordash. We were excited to get our food, and it arrived faster than expected. However, when the food arrived, we quickly realized it did not meet our expectations; some of the items were mediocre, while others were unsatisfactory.
My daughter had the steak plate with Brussels sprouts, roasted potatoes, and the tomato mozzarella salad, which is usually her favorite kind of salad. She said the steak was good. The Brussels sprouts were ok. But the potatoes were mostly dry, and the salad was mushy and didn't taste fresh.
I agreed with her about the salad. It appeared soggy and did not taste fresh. I ordered the 4-up plate, so I also got the Moroccan chicken braise, the potatoes, and the Brussels sprouts. The chicken braise seemed like it may have had some type of starch mixed into it, and I marked my meal as needing it to be gluten-free, so I am concerned about the lack of labeling on the food. The item was also an unappetizing mix of sweet and spicy flavoring and did not taste as expected. Moreover, though, the potatoes and Brussels sprouts were very salty and did not taste as healthy as this establishment purports its food to be.
Fortunately, the gluten-free cookie I ordered was delicious and sizable. My daughter also really enjoyed her organic lemonade. Those are two items we would really like to praise Urban Plates for.
I realize people take a risk when trying anything new. However, given the fact that this restaurant is located in an affluent area of town, and I spent $55 on the meal, I did expect it to be better. I wanted to share this experience with you in case it is helpful in the planning and preparation of future menu items.
Is the letter well-organized, with proper formatting? If not, fix it, and explain how else the letter might be better organized.
Does the letter begin in a friendly way, with some amount of praise for the recipient? If so, what is the praise? Do you think the praise section is adequate?
Does the letter feature a "thesis," which is typically at the end of the praise section? If so, what is it, and how would you rate the quality and specificity of the thesis--weak, adequate, or strong? Does it appropriately explain what the reader can expect in the rest of the letter?
Is there any repetition in the letter? If so, where? Does the letter feature formal language? If so, provide at least 2-3 examples. If not, provide an example of informal language and suggest how the language could be strengthened.
Evaluate the evidence. Is there enough specific evidence provided in the form of details? What are some of the strongest details? Are there any weak details? If so, what are they? Does the letter "tell a story" about the situation? Overall, how would you rate the evidence--weak, adequate, or strong?
Overall, is the content of the letter clear, and does it state a clear purpose or make a clear request for compensation? If not, how might you revise it?