Discrete event simulation for quick service restaurant traffic analysis

This paper describes the development of a software tool that simulates and animates the traffic control in and around parking lots associated with quick service restaurants (QSR). The Quick Service Restaurant Simulation (QSRS) module provides restaurant planners and designers with the ability to experiment with various parking lot and adjacent street traffic configurations in an effort to optimize proposed sites or to improve existing ones. QSRS was designed to consider all of the important traffic parameters of a restaurant site in a flexible, user friendly environment. Each site´s parameters can be varied and modified to make quantitative comparisons of proposed solutions to determine optimal site design. The QSRS module provides high quality 3-D graphics with accurate spatial representation, allowing the user to visually observe the site in operation for verification of proposed configurations. QSRS is currently being used at Taco Bell Corporation for three primary uses: post-construction fixes; development of standard layouts for site design standardization; and strategic permitting by visually communicating the proposed development to the community.