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December 2017 | ISE Magazine 35 How simulation benefits food service Figure 1 shows the rigorous and disciplined design process that industrial and systems engineers in food service should follow. Without simulation, the typical testing (debug) phase in- volves real-life testing through a controlled kitchen mockup or actual testing inside a functioning restaurant. Both of these options take time and significant capital. In the case of in-store testing, it may inhibit the operator's willingness to test more risky options, since the testing would affect the customer. Computer simulation is a less expensive and more flexible way to test many options rapidly since it affords a nondestructive, controlled way to analyze options. This technique can replace or augment mockup or in-store testing. The areas that could be simulated include customer service flow, kitchen line production, drive-through and other modes of service, dining room seating capacity, ordering capacity (eat-in, online, delivery, etc.) and other areas. The typical inputs that could be used, among others, in- clude: • Customer arrival patterns • Customer order patterns (order configuration) • Production times (cook times, assembly times, hold times, etc.) • Employee deployment • Equipment cycles Typical outputs could be: • Customer service • Peak hourly throughput • Product quality (holding/ transfer time, component synchronization, etc.) • Equipment utilization and requirements • Labor utilization and requirements Another significant area where industrial and systems engineers can apply simula- tion is in developing labor deployment guidelines for restaurants. Computer simulation enables you to add the dynamic (service) aspect to labor guide- lines development since the system runs in real time, including delays in production and service times. As shown in Figure 2, a typical labor project involves creating labor guides, starting with creating a task list and labor standards. The simulation application would be applied during the labor guidelines de- sign step within Figure 2's sequence of steps. Although many may look at undertaking a labor project as an effort to reduce labor costs, the best goal in a labor initia- tive is to develop guides that facilitate the deployment of the right labor in the right place at the right time to drive sales, throughput, quality and an optimum customer hospitality experience. Considering that the minimum wage keeps go- ing up and up, and the restaurant industry relies a lot on this source of labor, this is a critical way to ensure the best "unit economics" for the concept that drives maximum return-on- investment for shareholders. Let's examine a few applications of simulation in food service environments. All the following case studies applied simulation software to model the system being studied and develop the new, more efficient design that met the goals of the project. Better options in hospital dining The objective of this initiative was to test and validate different designs that the architect, Smith-Group-JJR, was considering. FIGURE 1 Process is important in food service, too Industrial and systems engineers who use simulation in food service should follow a rigorous and disciplined design process. Discover Issues and opportunities Define Define new concept Design Detail new concept Debug Controlled test Document Finalize new package Deploy Support implementation FIGURE 2 Keep it working Computer simulation adds real-time information to labor guidelines development in food service. Task list development Labor standards creation Labor guidelines design Software system integration In-store testing and validation Ongoing guideline updates support