Unusual CafÃƒÂ©

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A new café intends to open and offer to its patrons unusual beverages served in an unusual atmosphere. Prior to beginning construction on its location, it had already secured funding based on the quality of its beverages, which it served to potential investors. But when it conducted intensive tests to gauge the interest of potential customers, it tested not whether they liked the beverages, but whether they liked descriptions of the café's atmosphere.

Which of the following, if true, best accounts for the new café's approach to conducting tests with potential customers?

Investors are unlikely to invest substantial amounts of capital in a café whose own managers are skeptical about the commercial prospects of the beverages they are selling.

The potential customers are not likely to be able to envision how initial designs of the café and later designs of the atmosphere might differ.

If a new café succeeds, the commercial beneﬁts will accrue largely to the investors, not to the patrons, of the café.

After opening its first location, the café will easily be able to make adjustments to the unusual beverages, but it will not be able to make adjustments to the location's unusual atmosphere.

Potential customers are unlikely to be able to predict which of the beverages at the café will be the most popular.

Explanation

Reading the question: in our initial approach, we might look first at the question stem. It specifically asks about the café's approach to testing with potential customers. The central issue is why they tested not the beverages but they did test the atmosphere. Evidently 1) the beverage does not need testing. And 2) the atmosphere needs testing. An explanation will touch on both points. And, definitely, the atmosphere needs testing more than the beverages do. That would be the ideal; a comparison of atmosphere and beverages establishing that atmosphere in more in need of testing. We can use that as our filter.

Applying the filter: Choice (A) doesn't involve a comparison of beverage and atmosphere, so we hold it in contempt. Choice (A) is out. Choice (B) is awkwardly phrased, comparing a café with its atmosphere, but it doesn't compare directly or indirectly with the beverages. Choice (B) is out. (C) is quite immaterial to the comparison; out. (D) is brilliant because it actually compares the beverages and the atmosphere. (D) is in. (E) does not involve a comparison. (E) is also nonsensical because customers don't have to make this prediction; the café owners are doing the "gauging," per the prompt. The correct answer is (D).

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Unusual CafÃƒÂ©