Use of a branch and bound algorithm to schedule food production in a semi-conventional food service system

A new computerized technique for solving the problem of production scheduling in a semi-conventional food service system was found to be a branch and bound algorithm. The primary objective was to minimize, on a daily basis, the overall time required for noon-time production from the start of hot food preparation to the completion of all menu items. The second objective was, through modification of the algorithm, to produce right-through modification of the algorithm, to produce right-shifted schedules so that all menu items would be completed as close to meal time as possible. Benefits of the computerized procedure include increased productivity through more efficient utilization of resources and enhancement of nutritional, organoleptic, and microbiological properties of foods.