Joe's Diner has been around for as long as most people can remember.  But unfortunately, business hasn't been so good lately. A lot of new, exciting restaurants have moved into the old neighborhood, and Joe is feeling the pressure to keep up. He's thinking of making some changes to liven things up and attract a new crowd. Joe is currently taking proposals for new ideas and he could really use your help.

Step 1: Redesigning Joe's menu and attracting new customers will require some lively and descriptive writing, so before choosing your project roles, you will first need to brush up on your knowledge of adjectives and adverbs.

Step 2: Get together with the members of your group and decide on a theme for the restaurant.  This can be based on anything - music, movies, TV shows, politics, fashion, professions, decades, cartoons, types of food, futuristic, old-fashioned - anything you'd like that will create a unique atmosphere and make the restaurant stand out.  Remember that your decor changes, your menu, everything should reflect the theme you choose.

Step 3: Once the theme has been chosen, each member of the group should take on one of the following roles:

• Menu Design Team- (2 people) Your job will be to create the new theme-based menu for Joe's restaurant. You will work together to create the layout and the content for the new menu. You will be responsible for writing the food descriptions and deciding on the graphic layout of the menu. See Creating the Menu handout for specific guidelines. Both team members should assume aspects of both content and layout. Go to the following websites for ideas:

Chili's Grill and Bar

• Restaurant Design Expert- Your job will be to find ways to change the furnishings and decor of Joe's restaurant to reflect the new theme. This can involve remodeling the outside of the restaurant as well as the interior. You may also want to include other important design issues in your  plan such as employee uniforms, tableware etc. See the Redesigning the Restaurant handout for specific guidelines. You will need to "shop" for furniture and decor items online. Try some of the following websites:

Restaurant Design

Restaurant Decor Items

Interior Restaurant Decor

Vintage Vending - 50s decor

Restaurant Equipment - everything including the kitchen sink!

Dishes, Decor and More - online shop

• Restaurant Promoter- You will be in charge of planning and advertising for the grand re-opening of Joe's restaurant. Your job will be to attract customers through advertising and promotion of the event.  You will need to decide what to use to attract a crowd. You will also be responsible for creating a print ad that will also be used to draw customers in.  See the Promoting the Restaurant handout for specific guidelines. Try some of the following websites for ideas and to view samples:

Step 5: Present your display board and redesign proposal as a group on your assigned date.

After completing this project, you should have a better understanding of the important role descriptive writing plays in real world applications, such as in the food and restaurant industry. You should be able to appreciate the power and usefulness of descriptive words such as adjectives and adverbs and be able to apply this to your own writing.