While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:Full-service restaurants employ waitstaff who take orders, serve food, and...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Full-service restaurants employ waitstaff who take orders, serve food, and provide table service throughout the meal.
- Full-service establishments create personal dining experiences and allow for menu customization.
- However, full-service operations require extensive labor costs and longer service times.
- Fast-casual restaurants use counter ordering where customers place orders and receive food directly.
- Fast-casual establishments offer quick service and lower operational overhead.
- However, fast-casual operations provide limited customer interaction and can feel impersonal to diners.
The student wants to compare some drawbacks of full-service and fast-casual restaurant models. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Full-service operations require extensive labor costs and longer service times, while fast-casual establishments can feel impersonal and offer limited customer interaction.
Fast-casual restaurants offer quick service and lower costs, unlike full-service establishments that provide personalized dining experiences.
Though fast-casual operations provide limited customer interaction, full-service restaurants employ waitstaff who take orders and serve food.
Fast-casual establishments use counter ordering; full-service restaurants, however, create personal dining experiences for customers.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants employ waitstaff who take orders, serve food, and provide table service throughout the meal. |
|
| Full-service establishments create personal dining experiences and allow for menu customization. |
|
| However, full-service operations require extensive labor costs and longer service times. |
|
| Fast-casual restaurants use counter ordering where customers place orders and receive food directly. |
|
| Fast-casual establishments offer quick service and lower operational overhead. |
|
| However, fast-casual operations provide limited customer interaction and can feel impersonal to diners. |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The notes present a balanced comparison of full-service and fast-casual restaurant models, showing both the benefits and drawbacks of each approach.
Argument Flow: The notes follow a structured comparison pattern, first introducing each restaurant model's basic operations, then highlighting their respective advantages, and finally acknowledging the limitations of each approach.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The student has a specific goal: to compare some drawbacks of full-service and fast-casual restaurant models.
What type of answer do we need? We need to find the choice that focuses specifically on comparing the negative aspects or limitations of both restaurant types.
Any limiting keywords? The key limiting word is 'drawbacks' - we must focus on negative aspects only.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- From our analysis, we can identify the drawbacks for each model
- Full-service drawbacks include extensive labor costs and longer service times
- Fast-casual drawbacks include limited customer interaction and impersonal feeling
- The correct answer should present both sets of drawbacks in a comparative way
Full-service operations require extensive labor costs and longer service times, while fast-casual establishments can feel impersonal and offer limited customer interaction.
✓ Correct
- Presents drawbacks from both models exactly as identified in our notes
- Uses clear comparative structure while staying focused entirely on negatives without mixing in benefits
Fast-casual restaurants offer quick service and lower costs, unlike full-service establishments that provide personalized dining experiences.
✗ Incorrect
- Describes benefits rather than drawbacks
- Completely misses the student's goal of comparing drawbacks
Though fast-casual operations provide limited customer interaction, full-service restaurants employ waitstaff who take orders and serve food.
✗ Incorrect
- Only mentions one drawback and describes full-service operations in neutral terms rather than presenting drawbacks
Fast-casual establishments use counter ordering; full-service restaurants, however, create personal dining experiences for customers.
✗ Incorrect
- Describes operational features and benefits rather than drawbacks
- Contains no actual drawbacks from either model