Miller Dining Hall Case Study

In this study, the problem that is addressed is how to reduce the time and increase the simplicity of making a sub sandwich in the Miller Dining Hall. The methods used were process flow charts, flow diagrams, the SCORE method, and the 5 W’s and H method. Using these methods, there were several changes made to the preparation area layout to reduce redundant tasks and decrease the amount of time wasted while interacting with customers who are making decisions. Ineffective or inefficient tasks were subject to change through the implementation of added technology and the movement of food storage areas to reduce movement and traffic behind the counter. After consideration of ideas, the overall time could be reduced from the original 173 seconds
Miller was not designed to handle this many regular customers and therefore suffers from a great amount of inefficiency. With this huge over flow of customers, the sandwich station needs to adapt to serve people at a faster rate. A decrease in cycle time of making a sandwich would remedy the problem and reduce the line that wraps around, blocking over areas of Miller.
The goal I had was to find a method of sandwich preparation to reduce the time and the effort necessary to complete an order. To execute this goal, I filmed to familiarize myself with the process reduce the time of the process by cutting out unneeded steps and look for ways to simplify the process by reworking the system already in place.
The motivation for this study was greatly founded on experience. After living on campus for 2 years I ate at miller 3-4 times a day on average. Each day I would typically eat at a different area because I did not have the time to wait up to 20 minutes to start ordering my sandwich. If the process was faster and more customers could be helped, I would have been able to enjoy a fresh sandwich more
The improved ordering process would allow the worker to see the whole order laid out and be able to prepare for the next step without the delay of asking the customer. With printed order, there would be a decrease in mistakes while preparing the sandwich. The completed orders could also be archived and used when taking inventory and ordering from suppliers. Because of this, there could possibly be a reduction in work hours spend on completing these tasks. The data saved could also be used when making daily specials, completely based on what is popularly ordered. The SCORE method paired with the process flow chart reduced the greatest amount of motion and work elements needed to complete the process.
Although the process reduces both time effort, there is a major tradeoff to consider with these proposed changes. The greatest being the initial cost of implementing a digital ordering system. The system would require several touch-screen displays and access to an ordering system. There would initially be a learning curve on the system for current workers used to asking the customer directly. After time, these tradeoffs would pay off.
For future consideration, the stations functionality may benefit from the addition of another oven to reduce delays and stacked orders waiting to be toasted. After an analysis of the