Week 11 Autopsy: Delivering a verdict someone can use

Week 11 — turning your findings into a cause-of-death verdict specific enough to help a future restaurateur, not just explain the past one.

5 October 2026

Before the session#

Rank your findings from the semester by how much weight each deserves in the final verdict — location, menu economics, service, reviews, whatever the landlord’s-alibi week concluded. Most specimens have one dominant cause and several minor ones; this week is about admitting which is which instead of listing all of them as equally important.

In the session#

Renata’s test for a good verdict: could a stranger opening a similar restaurant tomorrow actually use it? “The food was inconsistent” fails that test; “the kitchen ran a menu with forty items and a two-line staff” passes it. You rewrite your verdict until it passes.

Afterwards#

A one-paragraph verdict, ranked and actionable, ready to be defended out loud at the Coroner’s Inquest.