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Michelle Ponce
Ms. Murray
ENC 1102
December 8, 2014
Digging Deep in the Outback
The discourse community I plan on researching is the Outback Steakhouse in Lake Nona.
I work as a host in this specific Outback and I get to view the restaurant from a different
perspective as compared to the customers. As an Outbacker it is really fascinating to see how the
restaurant works, and to learn the different forms of communication that are present. I chose this
specific community not only because I am an active member but it is also a great opportunity to
learn more about the forms of communication used in the workplace around me. According to
John Swales, discourse communities have six characteristics: common goals,
intercommunication, participatory mechanisms, provide feedback and information, posses
genres, specific terminology, and members with expertise. These characteristics clearly
distinguish them as sociorhetorical societies.
Outback Steakhouse is a restaurant that focuses on their high quality food and service to
create an atmosphere where families can gather to enjoy the company of loved ones and a
delicious meal. As Outbackers we have common goals like hospitality, quality, sharing and being
spirited. Not only in this discourse community do we focus on making money for ourselves, we
like to give back to our neighbors. The Lake Nona Outback takes pride in volunteering with local
groups and sharing food, time, and money. Every few months we hold a blood drive in which
patrons donate blood and in doing so they receive a $10 gift certificate. Our main focus in how
we do business is how to improve ourselves for our customers and the community.

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Within the restaurant there are different forms of communication: BBI University, seating
receipts, host monitor, section plans, time sheet and menu. These mechanisms are what keep
business running smoothly. Out of the different mechanisms, I believe the host stand is where all
the magic takes place. At the host stand we have a computer with a digital map of the restaurant
that separates tables by sections and has different colors to signify the status of a table. With this
computer I am able to input the information from the daily section plan into the map of the
restaurant. With this information I can decide where a customer will sit and which server will be
taking care of them. As part of the computer system, we have buzzers to give customers when
there is a wait to notify them when their table is ready, receipts to tell hosts where to take a party,
an iPad to take names at the door and an iPod to update the status of each table in the restaurant.
The purpose of these mechanisms is to provide excellent customer service at maximum
efficiency. The mechanisms used are considered genres within the community that help reach the
restaurants goals. Without a map of the restaurant I would never know which tables are clean or
dirty and where I should seat different parties. All the mechanisms used throughout the Lake
Nona Outback are essential to business. These tools help making a customers experience that
much more special.
Terminology is crucial in the food industry and only members of these specific
communities are able to understand terms when they are written down in work-related texts.
Seating receipts, handbooks, section plans, time sheets and the server board in the kitchen would
be considered specialized text. Only an Outbacker would be able to understand what the
managers mean on the board when they write Disney tours every 30 minutes or Leave no
tables on deck. The restaurant is not offering free Disney tours or free boat rides with every
meal purchased. The phrase Disney tours means a server or host needs to go around with a

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broom and dustpan to tidy up the different dining spaces within the restaurant. At the host stand
to let each other know a table is dirty we say it is on deck which means a table needs to be
bused and wiped and to say it is clean we say clear. These terms are then inputted into the map
of the restaurant. Outback has its own terminology that us Outbackers use amongst one another
and with our customers. Every part of the restaurant has its own terms, which contribute to the
communitys lexis. Our terminology may be difficult for an outsider to understand at times but it
helps us perform better as whole.
The experts or old-timers in this discourse community would be the Proprietor and key
managers. The Proprietor is responsible for the entire restaurant, she owns the place and knows
how to run Outback with her hands tied behind her back. Key managers are servers who have
been working for a while and have gained the trust of the Proprietor to be the face of the
restaurant on certain nights. Newcomers with less expertise come into the community confused
and these old-timers help lead them in the direction of becoming the best Outbackers they can
be. These newcomers learn the appropriate language and knowledge of our community with
experience. As time goes by they learn terms like on deck and on the fly to better
communicate with their fellow mates.
Within the restaurant there are different conflicts with communication. The heart of
Outback is the host stand, and if the hosts do not communicate properly the performance of the
restaurant can fall apart in moments. The hosts are responsible for communicating with servers
about who has which table, how many tables have been sat in each section, and if there are any
special requests in a party. Some parts of the community have difficulty with communication and
as a host I try to ensure that every server is keeping us informed with their table statuses and if

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they are able to pick up a table or not. Communication is key in Outback and it leads back to our
common goal of efficiency and excellent customer service.
A discourse community is a group of individuals who share objectives and use written
communication to achieve these goals. Within the Lake Nona Outback the genres are used as
mechanisms to achieve the goals set forth in the restaurant. The Lake Nona Outback meets
Swales criteria and that is why I believe it can be considered its own discourse community.