Pizza by the Slice

Pizza by the Slice. Customers can buy a slice of ready-made pizza, depleting the current offering but triggering the production of new pizzas.

0. This model has 4 items: Cheese Pizza Slice, Pepperoni Pizza Slice, Whole Cheese Pizza, and Whole Pepperoni Pizza. A Whole Cheese Pizza consists of 8 Cheese Pizza Slices, and a Whole Pepperoni Pizza consists of 8 Pepperoni Pizza Slices.

1. Model Demand as a Pull System. The Demand Block at the end signifies Pull Demand. Items are pulled out of the Pull Block to satisfy the demand.

2. Store the Available Slices. The Pull Block determines the number of slices of pizza initially on hand, the number of slices it needs to fall to start cooking a new pizza, and how many slices should be available or cooking at one time. When the number of slices reaches a specific target, a new Whole Pizza (Cheese or Pepperoni) item will be triggered earlier in the process.

3. Get the Pizza from the Fridge. A new Whole Pizza item will appear in this block when the available slices drop to a specific trigger point.

4. Cook the Pizza. This Activity Block represents the time to cook the pizza.

5. Slice the Pizza. A Split Block here changes the Whole Pizza into Pizza Slices. The Slices are then added to the store of Available Slices.

Keeping a cafeteria stocked requires understanding demand and lead times to ensure that there is always enough. In modeling, it is useful to understand how the individual stock of items and the bulk replenishment of those items are related. For example, you might not be able to purchase a single egg; buying a package of 12 or 6 is more likely, leading to more stock.

Next week, we'll examine a pizza restaurant model that incorporates orders for both slices and whole pizzas.