Pollo Tropical Ethnography Essay

An ethnography is defined as “writing culture,” a term that requires thorough observation, communication, and hands-on experiences, all while writing field notes of all the occurrences in a particular place (Defining Ethnographic Writing). It allows the researcher to really understand the culture of a place, as well as the daily life of a community, their rituals, social phenomena, etc (“How to Write Ethnography?”). To understand the American culture more, I chose a popular restaurant, Pollo Tropical. I chose Pollo Tropical because, from past experiences, I know it would allow me to experience the culture that is associated with American families, students, and other customers and workers. Pollo Tropical is located at 9993 Tagor Place Orlando, FL 32832. I began my ethnographic research on December 4, 2017, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. During this time, I took notes and observed every event that took place by the workers and customers to really understand not only the American culture but also the Hispanic culture by the Hispanics living in America.
Stated is what I observed:
• During the whole time that I was observing, no workers came up to me
• I observed that out of all the sauces provided in the sauce bar, creamy garlic was the most popular
• All sides were made before customers arrived and were arranged in the middle of the kitchen in metal tubs. This could be for easy access and faster serving time.
• Why did customers prefer sitting down and eating at the restaurant rather than ordering to go?
• Why did a majority of customers come in groups rather than alone?
• I observed two interviews that occurred in the restaurant, one with a girl who seems young, maybe a teenager, and one with an older lady, maybe in the late