A recent sales study indicates that consumption of seafood dishes in Bay City restaurants has increased by 30 percent during the past five years. Yet there are no currently operating city restaurants whose specialty is seafood. Moreover, the majority of f

The author of the statement believes that the new Captain Seafood restaurant which specializes in seafood would be popular and it will earn decent profits. This conclusion is based on a premise that consumption of the seafood dishes increased by 30 percent and people of Bay City, which are consisted majorly of two-income families, are inclined not to eat home-cooked meals. The author’s argument is unclear because of the lack of supporting evidence. In order to be clear, the author needs answering several vital questions.

First, the author needs to address the question whether the 30 percent increase would be enough to offer customers for a specialized restaurant to meet the taste of people who eat fish. Since there is no evidence showing the numbers of people who prefer eating sea food, then the mere 30 increase cannot be valid. It is possible that only ten people consumed sea food in the restaurants in the past, and with such a 30 percent increase, it is now 13 of them. These numbers may not be enough for a restaurant to be profitable with all the costs it primarily have to face.

Secondly, does the national study reflect the situation of the Bay City? As the result of the study is the average inclination of people throughout a whole nation, it allows some smaller places to be different from the total. Then, it is possible that the people of the Bay City may be even strictly inclined to eat homemade foods and this weakens the authors’ argument.

Finally, even if all the previous answers give credence to the author’s conclusion, the author should ask whether the mere specialization in sea food would make this restaurant profitable or not. To answer this question the author needs to rule out any possibility that the people do not choose such a fish food restaurant. Are the foods affordable? It is highly possible that majority of the people in the Bay City, even with two-incomes, cannot afford to pay the cost of their food. Is food delicious enough to attract customers? The quality of the fish dishes might not be good enough to attract enough people. And why people choose this restaurant if the other restaurant serve the same fish dishes beside other foods? The menu of the other restaurant may be more colorful with all the options offering the costumers. Then the new sea food restaurant would not be profitable.

In short, as discussed, the author of the statement fails to give a clear argument. There are several vital questions remaining unaddressed in the argument, whose answers help us to evaluate the conclusion. Since the argument in the current shape is ambiguous, the author conclusion based on such an argument cannot be tenable.