Family's restaurant
- dazahelo
- Mar 13, 2022
- 2 min read
The image above showcases the menu at my father’s restaurant. I chose the menu because there are many things that stand out from it and can be used to analyze the restaurant. Firstly, one of the first things that you see in the menu is the name of the restaurant, that being “cocina economica DARY”(economic kitchen DARY), perfectly exemplifying what type of restaurant it is, as the restaurant is named after one of my siblings it easy to see that this is a family/local restaurant. Right below the name of the restaurant you can see the dishes that are offered, the dishes vary from beef or chicken, those being the milanesa de res y de pollo (breaded beef and breaded chicken), to caldo de res(beef soup). This shows that in contrast to other restaurants, this one offers a lot of different foods that are not usually sold at restaurants, making it possible for many different customers to enjoy different types of food at the restaurant.
Additionally, next to the dishes there are images which are not placed in any particular order as they are not placed next to their corresponding dish, but from these images one of the things that sticks out is the amount of food that is given, as in all of the images the plates looked completely full. In many restaurants the prices are placed next to each dish, but in this case the price is placed below all of them, unlike other restaurants where the price is different from every dish, on this restaurant the price of the dishes are all the same, the price being 70 pesos for each dish and an additional 15 pesos for a drink, so if customer decides to get the full meal they would have to paid 85 pesos(4 dollars). The menu allows the customer to not only see how the dishes look, but to determine if they are getting their money’s worth.
Another thing that stands out from the pricing is that unlike the rest of the menu, the price for the dish and the drink have been modified and they have just placed a new price on top of the old one, instead of replacing the menu with a brand new one. Lastly, at the bottom of the menu it says “Horario de lunes a Sabado”(schedule from Monday to Saturday) but then next to it you can see the letters PM, meaning that the time that the restaurant is open and closes are covered by the price of drink. This shows that the restaurant has recurring customers, so they don’t feel the need to create a new poster to make sure that their clients can see the schedule of the restaurant.
I’m planning to utilize the menu in my research paper by analyzing how the restaurant menu is unlike other restaurants in Mexico, by pointing out how the restaurant is lacking the most demanded and popular dish of the country, that being tacos. In my research paper, I’m planning to analyze how a local restaurant can still be successful even without having the most popular dish. In addition, I’m going to analyze how the community that supports these local restaurants gets built. Lastly, I want to analyze if nostalgia plays any factors on the creation of this community.
Coming from a larger city, seeing a local restaurant and the covered up menu really brought me back to my childhood days in my grandparent's local shop. I didn't realize how much I missed the local shop/restaurant environment, which is something I don't ever see where I'm from. Besides the pricing, I do think customers come to local shops because it brings a sense of comfort and belonging, a place where more connections and relationships can be made and maintained. I thought it was interesting how all the food would be sold out which brings closure to the store for that day. That's just super amazing!
Your presentation was very interesting. I found the menu being covered up and written over very down to earth, something that happens in small restaurants everywhere. I think a large part of being a local restaurant is being personal and nostalgic, and maybe the menu is built around that uniqueness in a sense. I think it'd be insightful if you talked about some of the cooking processes that a restaurant like this one does unlike other places with more common foods.
I really enjoyed listening to your presentation! I am curious how your family's restaurant has made an impact on the local community. You mentioned exploring feelings of nostalgia, I think it would be interesting to look at how the feelings you associate with your family's restaurant (since it is so close to home) may differ from members in the community or if there are any similarities.
I really liked your exhibit because it is super personal. This is your own family's restaurant, so you have a special connection with food that not everyone might have. It is extra special because your sister's name is in the name of the restaurant, which I found interesting and very thoughtful as you mentioned that most restaurants have the family's name. The restaurant gives off a unique feel of community, which might be a reason as to why it is so successful (besides good food)!
I think it is interesting how this restaurant is still popular despite the fact that they do not sell well-known Mexican dishes. I think this not only shows that the food is good, but it also shows that the place this restaurant is located has a tight-knit community where people visit this restaurant often. To me this restaurant almost seems like a hidden restaurant that has all these good food that people would not really know about if they do not try it. I think for travelers this would be like a place people would feel satisfaction in finding because of how cheap and yummy the food is.