America in the 1990s was a simpler time, filled with hope, freedom, and the rise of buffet chain restaurants. Hoping to gain influence among the American public, Sizzler released a promotional advertisement in 1991, highlighting the strengths and values of the company and the service it provides to its customers. While the advertisement appears to be serious and valued by the company, it comes off as a parody, with cliched scenarios, awkward staring into the camera or off into the distance, and questionable scenes. Even with this amount of confusion and hilarity surrounding the advertisement, they do portray an American society that cherishes and supports the freedom of “choices.”
The advertisement begins with a montage of different groups of American citizens. From a construction worker, to a girl playing baseball, to a fisherman, Sizzler attempts to depict the diversity of American public, gaining credibility as their restaurant caters to these various groups. With the emphasis of “choices”, Sizzler depicts the company to be a proponent of liberty and freedom “reaching out across the U.S.A.” With the images of happy citizens, we are introduced to Sizzler’s image of a country that embraces their restaurants, which fit the “quiet revolution” that Americans appear to be undergoing. The narrator indicates the need of the American to seek out “good, basic home cooking” at reasonable prices, which Sizzler expresses they are the restaurant to do that by creating an image of freedom, peace, and enjoyable dining.
When the advertisement focuses on the interior of the restaurant, the audience is presented with the opportunity to enter an establishment that represents America. The lyrics describing Sizzler’s dedication to customer satisfaction, as well as keeping American ideals, matches the shots of the customers being intrigued and excited to be eating at Sizzler. While the “choices that can add a little freedom to your life” are alluded to, the audience rarely sees the people eating the food, as the advertisement focuses on the people. The people are the ones that make the “choices”, but the audience is unable to see this consistent choosing in the advertisement. The choices at Sizzler should reflect the choices of the American citizen, and the audience is left wondering how the “choice of America” is illustrated in the customers choosing the food. However, this does not detract from the patriotism that the advertisement displays, as the company proves that there is nothing more American than a value buffer restaurant.
The advertisement closes by the narrator expressing the different qualities of Sizzler. By proclaiming that the restaurant is “bold” and “unique”, the narrator influences the audience to choose their restaurant for a different dining experience, mirroring the change in the United States that citizens search for throughout history. The ad implies that without Sizzler, our nation would be stagnant and be missing of “choices” that are a characteristic of our nation’s prosperity. An ending montage sums up the commercial, filled with the familiar and relatable faces that we see day to day exercising their freedom.
Sizzler’s advertisement, while ridiculous and corny, portrays the simple times of the 1990s, where patriotism was vibrant and citizens indicated their “choices” in peculiar ways. Although the audience may laugh at the advertisement today, and Sizzler may be unknown to viewers, it remains an artifact for the United States by reflecting the values and beliefs that our nation adheres to.