Date of Award
5-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Engineering Management (MSEM)
Department
Engineering Management
First Advisor
Diane Evans
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to reduce meal wait times at Chauncey’s, a pub-style eatery for students at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Chauncey’s re-opened in Fall 2018-19 after the student union was redesigned in Summer 2018. With its refreshed look and menu, its popularity grew, and so did its customers’ wait times. Despite Chauncey’s staffs’ efforts to reduce wait times in the fall and winter quarters, the waits still fluctuated at peak times and were often longer than customers considered reasonable. Consequently, dissatisfied customers sometimes gravitated towards other campus dining options, such as the student cafeteria. Not only does Chauncey’s generate more revenue for its meals than the student cafeteria, but it is also a fundamental “feel good” meeting and eating place that students call their own. By improving Chauncey’s wait times, Rose-Hulman could improve customer satisfaction, prevent revenue losses, and foster positive interactions within its on-campus community.
This project deployed the Six Sigma methodology to quantifiably determine if wait times could be reduced at Chauncey’s after implementing changes. As with any Six Sigma project, it followed the well-known DMAIC approach with five phases: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. Two temporary improvements were implemented over a two-week trial period, and the pre- and post-improvement wait times were compared. The research concluded a statistically significant difference in mean wait times from 12.24 minutes to 7.22 minutes. Also, the proportion of customers who felt the wait times were reasonable increased from 84.06% to 94.23%. These results indicated that implementing the improvements had a positive impact on Chauncey’s wait times. The findings were shared with Chauncey’s staff and the institute’s meal service provider as a means for improving Chauncey’s customer satisfaction on a full-time basis. The improvements were not difficult to implement and could be used to boost Rose- Hulman’s bottom-line fan base – its students!
Recommended Citation
Ade-Arigbabuwo, Yewande, "Wait a Minute! Reducing Campus Eatery Wait Times" (2020). Graduate Theses - Engineering Management. 12.
https://scholar.rose-hulman.edu/engineering_management_grad_theses/12