Simulating a block queuing system at a drive-thru restaurant to examine tradeoffs between fuel consumption and customer service

Keywords

Automobiles -- Motors -- Exhaust gas; Drive in restaurants; Queuing theory

Abstract

Drive-thru businesses, in industries such as banking, dry cleaning, and certainly restaurants, are booming in W estem society. They provide service and convenience that we have gotten used to and, therefore, rely on. Extensive queues are likely to build up during peak hours at these facilities. As a result, the vehicles in the queue with running engines cause unnecessary fuel use and substantial production of vehicle exhaust em1ss1ons. This paper deals with the simulation of a drive-thru facility, where an attempt is made to educe the negative impacts caused by vehicles in a drive-thru queue with running engines. A simulation model of a block queuing system at a double window drive-thru restaurant with a separate order board is developed. In a block queuing system, some customers are asked to shut down their engines, depending on their position in the queue, thereby reducing the number of running engines at any time. The queue is partitioned into an active section at the front (with running engines) and a passive section at the rear (with engines turned oft). A block of vehicles in the passive section is allowed to move up to he active section when the active section clears. The number of vehicles in the block that is allowed to move up to the active section as it clears is an important factor in the effectiveness of a block queuing system.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2003

Advisor

Reilly, Charles H.

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Engineering

Department

Industrial Engineering and Management Systems

Format

PDF

Pages

80 p.

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Identifier

DP0029123

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Engineering; Engineering -- Dissertations, Academic

Accessibility Status

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