This case describes the development of the Benihana restaurant "model". The company, started by a young Japanese entrepreneur, has grown to a chain of 15 restaurants. We will discuss Benihana's operational design choices, the typical process flow used by a Benihana restaurant, and the impact of the design and execution of Benihana's operations strategy on the company's performance.In this exercise, there are 13 questions/sub-questions. Each is worth 1 point.

Question:

1. What is the product concept? What is Benihana selling?

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Question:

2. How does the cost structure of a Benihana restaurant compare with that of a typical American restaurant?

2.a. Cost of food

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2.b. Cost of drinks

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2.c. Rent

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2.d. Advertisement

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2.e. Labor cost

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Question:

3. What is the Benihana strategy?

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Question:

4. Consider a 15-table Benihana Restaurant. Assume total dining time equals 60 minutes (per table of 8), and dining start times are evenly spaced.

4.a. How many customers can the restaurant serve in an hour?

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4.b. On November 5, 1972, on average, a customer arrived in the restaurant every 90 seconds. On average, how many customers did the restaurant serve in an hour?

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4.c.On November 5, 1972, on average, a customer arrived in the restaurant every 90 seconds.How often did a table exit the restaurant (the average time between table exits)?

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Question:

5. Please estimate the maximum customer waiting time (in minutes) in the bar on a busy night in each of the three restaurant configurations (Benihana West, East, and Palace).

To keep everyone on the same page, use the following assumptions:

• Total dining time equals 60 minutes (per table of 8), and dining start times are evenly spaced.
• Benihana West has 8 seats in the bar and 40 in the dining room, Benihana East has 16 seats in the bar and 80 in the dining room, and Benihana Palace has 56 seats in the bar and 120 in the dining room.
• Calculate the maximum wait time in the bar on a busy night, i.e., the wait time of the "last customer" to get a seat in the bar. Ignore any customers that might be waiting outside the bar.

5.a. Benihana West:

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5.b. Benihana East:

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5.c. Benihana Palace:

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