Instructions:

Skim over the attachments below, and select one of the following student Restaurant Review Essays, read it carefully, and comment on the following eight questions — in at least a page of response (250 words or more). Be sure to number your responses, and give the kind of feedback you’d like to receive as a writer to help you most effectively and successfully write your own paper.

Please note: Each question should be discussed and explained; simple “yes” or “no” answers are insufficient.

  1. Does the essay introduce the restaurant in a brief, clear way? What could be done to improve the introduction?
  2. Does the essay evaluate enough elements of the restaurant? What elements might be added to (or removed from) the evaluation?
  3. Does each element present a clear judgment? Which could be made clearer?
  4. Does each element have a sufficient amount of evidence to support the claim? Which elements could use more supportive evidence?
  5. Are the criteria implicit, except where needed?
  6. Is there a discussion of comparison to a comparable restaurant (for example, you shouldn’t compare a steak house to a fast food restaurant)? If not, suggest one.
  7. Is the review balanced and fair, identifying both positive and negative aspects of the restaurant? Where might this aspect be improved?
  8. Does the conclusion include a short paragraph that wraps up the evaluation by stating whether the reviewer recommends the restaurant and a short summary of why or why not, based on the previous paragraphs?
  9. How could the author improve the review?

Essay Selection Options

Select one of the following essays for your student response (see attachments below):