The speaker asserts that the introduction of the city’s new seafood restaurant, Captain Seafood, should help the city’s economy by providing new jobs and increased revenues. This premise is based on the assumption that families in Bay City are concerned about healthful eating, and that this concern will increase with the introduction of Captain Seafood’s menu. However, the statistics he presented do not support that claim. The speaker introduced nothing new but offered anecdotal evidence regarding his own observations. While families may enjoy seafood, they will not necessarily choose to dine at a restaurant that specializes in the dishes. Furthermore, recent studies demonstrate that the two income families the speaker refers to are more likely to eat away from home, rather than preparing meals at home.

Thus, what this speaker fails to acknowledge is that families are likely to eat at restaurants that specialize in the type of food they prefer, except in the case of seafood restaurants. This might be the case in other economically depressed cities, but in Bay City, where employment is high and the cost of living low, many residents are likely to eat at restaurants that cater to their tastes, rather than at ones that specialize in seafood. Moreover, families in Bay City, who earn the median income, will probably not be more inclined to eat home-cooked meals. It is possible that families in more affluent neighborhoods, such as the nearby affluent resort areas, eat home-cooked meals more often, but if this is the case, it can only be explained by the availability of grocery stores in the area. If the speaker is correct that families are concerned about healthful eating, and that these concerns are rising, then we should be aware that this factor is not unique to Bay City. The nationwide study he refers to is from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The results of this study indicate that Americans have not changed their eating patterns in the past decade. Consumption of fruits and vegetables has remained stable; the number of families that eat home-cooked meals has declined slightly; and, finally, portion sizes have increased. Thus, this study suggests that in 2013, as in 2007, most Americans were eating a balanced diet, and concerns about healthful eating were not necessarily on the rise.

The speaker’s assertion that the new restaurant’s specialty will be popular and profitable is questionable. While it is true that many restaurants are successful, only those that provide what their customers demand will survive. Thus, if families in Bay City do not enjoy seafood, it is unlikely that they will flock to the new restaurant. Instead, they will choose to dine elsewhere.

The speaker’s suggestion that the city’s economy will benefit from the opening of this seafood restaurant is also questionable. If families in Bay City do not frequent seafood restaurants and do not choose to dine at Captain Seafood, the restaurant will fail, and the city’s economy will suffer accordingly. Furthermore, although it is true that restaurants that offer specialties are more likely to succeed, this success is based on consumer demand, not economic necessity. Thus, even if families do patronize the new restaurant, there is no guarantee that it will turn a profit. Given these realities, it would be more prudent for the speaker to consider other options for increasing the city’s economy, such as increasing tourism or offering incentives for new businesses to relocate to Bay City.