A Study of Service Wait Timeand Its Improvement in Acafeteria Using Discrete Event Simulation

Service wait time is a key performance indicator in the food service industry. A real-case scenario of a cafeteria situated on a college campus is studied for service time. During the lunch hours, there is always a large queue that impacts serviceability. This study identifies the stations and events where the wait time increase and suggests with a solution. A discrete event simulation (DES) model is developed with the information and factors gathered based on observation. The simulation model suggests the places and time periods where the service bottle neck occurs, shows the queues dispersion, and helps in coming up with cost effective solution. Three instants have been simulated for reducing wait time without affecting serviceability: addition of resources, stations which facilitate easy dispersion, and effective planning on the preparation charts. The supply and demand information for an influx is also studied to help optimize planning the cafeteria operations.