GRE 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

The author argues that the new Captain Seafood restaurant that specializes in seafood should be quite popular and profitable since a recent sales study indicates the growth of the seafood consumption by around 30 percent during the past five years in the Bay City. He further states that the majority of families in Bay City are two-income families and a nationwide study reveals that such families are inclined towards eating outside food which is healthy, as the basis for his argument that the Captain Seafood restaurant will serve profitably to these people. However, the presumptions made by the author needs to be substantiated with additional evidence, to verify the persuasiveness of his argument.
First of all, the recent sales study which corroborates the increase in consumption of seafood dishes in restaurants is relatively new, accounting for only the past five years. No evidence regarding how this study holds relevance in the long term in presented anywhere. The increase in consumption of seafood dishes might be due to relatively higher availability of marine animals during the past five years. It might also be due to migration of people coming into Bay City who are more inclined towards having seafood dishes. However, if such migratory movement is unlikely to continue or maybe a movement of such people or animals out of the Bay City occurs in the upcoming years then a decline is more likely to occur in the amount of seafood consumption. Hence, further evidence needs to be presented which supports that the recent sales of seafood dishes in restaurants at Bay City is likely to continue in the following years and also that the larger part of its inhabitants are inclined to having seafood dishes at restaurants.
Secondly, the author predicts the profitability of the Captain Seafood restaurant based on a nationwide study which reveals that two-income families, which is predominant in Bay City, are inclined towards having outside food. At the same time, they want food that is healthy. However, no evidence has been presented to show how Captain Seafood serves healthy seafood dishes. Furthermore, whether the people involved in the study actually are inclined towards having seafood dishes in restaurants or do they consider seafood dishes healthy at all remains unanswered and hence further evidence is needed to corroborate this relationship between the nationwide study and the consumption of seafood dishes.
Even if all the above points are proven, that is if the recent sales study indeed confirms that such a trend is to follow in the recent years and that the nationwide study on two-income families correlates to those in Bay City and their inclination towards having seafood dishes at restaurants, the question remains how does Captain Seafood, which specializes in seafood dishes, stand out amidst competition. No evidence regarding how specializing in seafood dishes make it profitable has been presented here. The questions that may be asked pertaining to this is whether this is the only seafood restaurant at Bay City and hence the author concludes that Captain Seafood restaurant will inevitably be profitable. Unless evidence pertaining to how Captain Seafood restaurant stands out amidst competition, how specializing in seafood differentiates it from other restaurants in the Bay City, the argument that such a restaurant will be profitable just because the people at Bay City likes seafood is somewhat vague.
In conclusion, it is possible that the Captain Seafood restaurant will turn out to be profitable and popular in the Bay City owing to factors such as the predominant culture at Bay City is two-income families who like to have outside food, rather than home-cooked meals and that the residents at Bay City have a predilection for seafood dishes served at restaurants. However, as it stands now, the author’s argument stands unpersuasive due to lack of evidence on several factors such as how the recent sales study is dependable enough, how the nationwide study correlates to the inhabitants of Bay City and how specializing in seafood makes Captain Seafood restaurant inevitably profitable and popular amidst competition with other restaurants.