Community Participation
Lesson Plan - Developing
Types of Restaurants

Instructional Area:

check box graphic Leisure

check box graphic Community

check box graphic Home Living / Daily Living

Ability Level:

check box graphic Emerging

check box graphic Developing

check box graphic Mastery

Topic / Skill Outcome:

  • Students will be able to determine the differences that exist between fast food restaurants and dine in restaurants

Learning Area(s):

  • Literacy
  • Math and Science
  • Social Studies

Purpose of Lesson / Objective:

  • Identify characteristics of dine in and fast food restaurants
  • Identify differences that exist amongst dine in and fast food restaurant environments

Materials / Equipment / Environment:

  • Logos of restaurants in the local area both dine in and fast food
  • Tag Board
  • Pencils or Markers

Group Size: 4-6

Time Required: 2 - 50-minute sessions

Lesson Procedure:

  1. Introduce the lesson by describing a situation, which describes a place that you had dinner in last night. Include in your description-facilities, menu, type of food, people you saw (waiter, cook, hostess, cashier etc.)
  2. After describing the situation, ask students where they think that you were last night? (restaurant, not at home)
  3. Identify characteristics of both dine in and fast food restaurants
  4. Display the differences on a piece of tag board with a line drawn down the middle
    • Dine-in
      • Must wait to be seated
      • Wait staff comes to table and takes order
      • Look through a menu to pick out what to eat
      • Leave a tip
      • Play bill at the table
      • Pay for meal after you eat
      • More expensive food items
      • Takes a longer period of time to dine in
    • Fast Food
      • Wait in line
      • Locate your own table
      • Order food at counter
      • Pay for meal before you eat
      • Food often displayed on boards or walls above counter (no menus)
      • Faster service-quicker delivery of food
      • Do not leave a tip
      • Quite often less expensive
  5. Have students name restaurants in their community where they enjoy eating
  6. Help them to determine whether it is a fast food or dine-in restaurant

Carry Over / Related Activities:

  • Help students develop a directory of fast food and dine in restaurant options in their community for future reference
  • Collect menus from various local restaurants and create a file for each restaurant so that students can look at the different types of food that restaurants serve in their area.  (For example, if a student wants to have a burger and fries for supper they would be able to look at sample menus to see which restaurants they can find that food item at.)

Supporting Activities / Possible Adaptations:

  • If students are not able to verbally name restaurants that they like, provide them with a visual representation of the logos/signs of restaurants in their area.
  • Provide visual representations to student so that they are able to indicate their choice of restaurant by pointing, eye gazing, or passing picture to the teacher.
  • Cut out logo from a newspaper ad/coupon (i.e., McDonald’s)
  • Go on Internet and download logos of restaurants in area and print them

Strategies for Participation:

Student Reaction / Evaluation:

  • Students become familiar and more aware of the different types of restaurants that exist in their community