Informative Speech Sample Outline

 

I.  Introduction

 

A.      Imagine this:  You’ve been driving around all day doing errands and

it is about time for dinner.  You don’t want to go home to a dirty

kitchen and try to scrounge up something to eat, so what do you do?

 

B.       A common choice these days is to eat out.  But where do you go? 

According to an article in CQ Researcher, “46 million Americans

patronize 160,000 different fast-food restaurants every day” (Clark 38).

 

C.       One of the leaders in this industry is McDonald’s.  As an assistant

manager at McDonald’s, I deal with customer satisfaction much of

the time.  I have to know what make the customers want to come back.

 

D.      Today I would like to discuss what influences customer’s choice of fast food restaurant.  With research and personal experience, I have found three major factors are correlated with a restaurant’s success.  These factors are:  good value, fast service, and a quality product.

 

II.  Body

 

          A.      First, everyone likes a good bargain, but is charging the customer

a lower price good for business?

 

1.       According to the magazine, Advertising Age, two years after

introducing their 59 cent Value Menu, Taco Bell’s sales rose

50%.  (Hume & Johnson 59).

 

                   2.       Other restaurants had to follow suit, even though profit

margin went down.

 

3.       Now there are value deals in every corner of the fast food industry.

 

a.       McDonalds has 39 cent cheeseburger Wednesdays and Sundays.

 

b.       Burger King has a number of items for 99 cents.

 

B.       Second on the list or what makes a fast food restaurant successful

is service. 

 

1.       An article in Forbes magazine suggests that Americans want fast service and they are willing to sacrifice quality and variety to get it (Harris 32).

 

2.       Fast food restaurants have established campaigns to improve service.

 

          a.       Burger King is trying dinner table service.

         

b.       At Denny’s you could get a free meal if it is not

                   delivered on time.

         

c.       McDonalds has a fast and friendly guarantee.

 

          C.       Even with the focus on value and service, the subject of quality

does come into play.

 

1.       Incidents with ecoli food poisoning at Jack in the Box have had an impact on how restaurants promote food safety.

 

2.        Other health issues such as nutrition and freshness are on the mind of the consumer.

 

a.      A National Restaurant Association poll found that 70% of Americans worry about nutrition (Clark 42)

 

b.                 Mc Donald’s, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken

are all promoting low-fat or low-carbohydrate menu items.

 

III.  Conclusion

 

A.      It appears that value, service, and quality are factors that help ensure a restaurant’s success.

 

B.       So the next time you’ve had a busy day and you don’t want to deal with a dirty kitchen, I hope you remember some of what I’ve said as you think of where you want to go to eat.

         

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

Clark, William.  “Fast Food Fast Profit.” CQ Researcher 17

Nov. 2002: 37-45.

 

                             Harris, Janet.  “Marketing Changes in the Fast-Food

Industry.” Journal of Restaurant Management   42

(2004) 30-39.

 

                             Hume, Mark and Tina Johnson. “Big Times for The Big Mac.”

Seattle Times, 10 March 1999: D1