Junior and seniors students in the Operations Research course have developed a simulation model to help improve customer wait times in Bethel's coffee shop, Royal Grounds. Facilities Management and Sodexo will use the research done in this course, as they have in the past, in order to make decisions as to how to best move people through lines.

For the project, the students first gathered data and developed a model that animated and recorded statistics that match the current system. Then, they created future models that change the layout of the system to see what happens to customer wait times and other measures with these changes.

"The future options we are examining are adding another register in two different locations, and looking at the impact on the amount of time customers will spend waiting," said Patrice Conrath. "The goal is to decrease average customer wait times."