Operations Management Simulation: Benihana V2

A hibachi table performs best when enough guests are seated together for one chef-led service cycle. Waiting to build a larger party can improve seat utilization, but excessive batching increases customer waits and may drive demand away.

Participants manage operating choices such as bar capacity, dining-room resources, table release, staffing, and customer flow. The results expose how one decision can shift queues and bottlenecks between the bar, tables, chefs, and payment process.

There is no permanently correct bottleneck because it changes with the chosen capacities and policies. A shortage of chefs, tables, bar space, or well-timed customer batches can each restrict throughput during the simulated evening.

Both examine the operating model of a Japanese steakhouse where chefs cook at hibachi tables in front of grouped guests. The simulation turns the case's ideas about capacity, batching, utilization, and waiting time into decisions with measurable consequences.