Management of Waiting Lines

The “Elizabeth Line” May Have Set a Record in Britain

They came to pay their respects to the Queen.

Britons knew the line would be long, but it did not matter. They wanted to see their Queen one last time. What could have been a logistical nightmare turned out to be an orderly process with few incidents. The Lying-in-State Queue exemplifies project management at its best: careful planning, teamwork, and attention to detail for seamless execution.

Video Spotlight: David Beckham Joins Crowd Waiting in Line for Hours to […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-09-26T00:31:30+00:00September 29, 2022|Tags: service design, waiting lines|

Canceled Sailings: Last Resort Solution to Port Congestion

U.S. port congestion has not eased. It has simply shifted.

When the pandemic eased, manufacturers and retailers ordered more than needed to offset goods shortages and delivery uncertainty. As a result, ports became congested, which slowed the flow of goods in and out of the country. Today, bottlenecks shift from one port to the other, and labor disputes continue to exacerbate the situation. In this chaotic environment, canceling sailings seem to be a viable, albeit temporary, solution.

Video Spotlight:

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-09-08T23:57:26+00:00September 13, 2022|Tags: bullwhip effect, logistics, queuing theory, shortage|

Fast Food Changes

Fast food restaurants have made several changes, spurred by the needs of their customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the major changes has been to focus on automation.

An example of automation is the use of apps for ordering. Many restaurants are encouraging customers to order through apps. However, this presents problems in filling orders—specifically getting the food to the customers. In many cases, customers must go through the traditional drive-thru lane—frustrating customers with what is perceived to be unnecessary […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2022-06-27T20:51:39+00:00June 28, 2022|Tags: apps, automation, efficiency, fast casual restaurants, food supply chain, forecasting, inventory management, limited time offering, queuing, service delivery, service processes, shortages, waiting lines|

Grubhub’s NYC Free Lunch Failure

On May 17, 2022, Grubhub offered New York City residents a free lunch. Specifically, Grubhub offered $15 off orders placed between 11am and 2pm, not including tax, tip, or delivery fees.

The offer was tremendously popular. At one point, Grubhub received 6,000 orders per minute. Orders arrived at a rate six times higher than a similar promotion the company ran in 2021.

Unfortunately, instead of being a tremendous success, it turned into an epic failure. Almost immediately, the app failed […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2022-06-06T06:46:27+00:00June 14, 2022|Tags: capacity, fast casual restaurants, forecasting, queuing theory, quick serve restaurants, scheduling, service delivery, service recovery|