The following memorandum is from the business manager of Happy Pancake House restaurants."Recently, butter has been replaced by margarine in Happy Pancake House restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. This change, however, has had little im

In this article, the author, manager of Happy Pancake House restaurants, points out that replacing butter by margarine have not impacted on customers. To support this assertion, the article renders the fact that the customers are happy with the margarine. To further support, the article also mentions that they do not discriminate buteer from margarine or they use the term butter for margarine. Close scrutiny of each of these facts reveals that none of them lends credible support to the conclusion as it stands.

Regarding the first fact, assuming that recently this replacement have not impacted on customers, the author infers similar condition in the future. But it is entirely possible that the replacement would decrease customers when they find Happy pancake House restaurants do not offer butter. This replacement needs more time to show its effects. So, they need more time to conclude about this replacement results.

The study methodology is problematic in some aspects. First, the article does not indicate what percentage of customers that it considered order in the restaurants. If majority of customers ordered online, it is possible that they did not complain or their complains were not considered. Second, we are not informed whether the customers were asked about their opinion about replaceement. IF it did not, it is possible that they were not satisfied, but they did not complain. The article needs to provide a thoughful way to know about all customers opinion about replacement.

Another fundamental problem with the argument is that it suggests that who don not complain about replacement must either use word butter for margarine or do not distinguish butter from margarine. However, it is not necessarily the case. Perhaps, they can distinguish, but they prefer to be silent and select another place next time. This replacement can change their opinion abouth the quality of their restaurants.

In sum, the article relies on doubtful assumptions and scant evidence that render it unconvincing and ill grounded as it stands. It would have been more stronger had it provided information about ways that customers can complain. The author also needs to do study about preference of customers between margarine and butter.