Western Family Steakhouse offers a variety of low-cost meals andquick service. Other than management, the steakhouse operates withtwo full-time employees who work 8 hours per day. The rest of theemployees are part-time employees who are scheduled for 4-hourshifts during peak meal times. On Saturdays the steakhouse is openfrom 11:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. Management wants to develop aschedule for part-time employees that will minimize labor costs andstill provide excellent customer service. The average wage rate forthe part-time employees is $7.60 per hour, but the temp agencymanaging the part time staff will charge the steakhouse one extradollar per hour for shifts starting after 3:00 PM. The total numberof full-time and part-time employees needed varies with the time ofday as shown.
| Time | Total Number
of Employees Needed |
| 11:00 a.m. - Noon | 9 |
| Noon - 1:00 p.m. | 9 |
| 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | 10 |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | 3 |
| 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | 3 |
| 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | 4 |
| 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | 6 |
| 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | 12 |
| 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | 12 |
| 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | 7 |
| 9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. | 7 |
One full-time employee comes on duty at 11:00 A.M., works 4hours, takes an hour off, and returns for another 4 hours. Theother full-time employee comes to work at 1:00 P.M. and works thesame 4-hours-on, 1-hour-off, 4-hours-on pattern.
- Develop a minimum-cost schedule for part-time employees. Whatis the total payroll for the part-time employees? If required,round your answer to the nearest dollar.
Total daily salary cost = $ ________
How many part-time shifts are needed?
________
Use the surplus variables to comment on the desirability ofscheduling at least some of the part-time employees for 3-hourshifts. - Assume that part-time employees can be assigned either a 3-houror a 4-hour shift. Develop a minimum-cost schedule for thepart-time employees. If your answer is zero, enter "0".
Optimal schedule for part-time employees:
| Starting Time | Number of part-
time employees
(4-hour shifts) | Number of part-
time employees
(3-hour shifts) |
|---|
| 11:00 A.M. | ________ | ________ |
| 12:00 P.M. | ________ | ________ |
| 1:00 P.M. | ________ | ________ |
| 2:00 P.M. | ________ | ________ |
| 3:00 P.M. | ________ | ________ |
| 4:00 P.M. | ________ | ________ |
| 5:00 P.M. | ________ | ________ |
| 6:00 P.M. | ________ | ________ |
| 7:00 P.M. | ________ | ________ |
How many part-time shifts are needed?
________
What is the cost savings compared to the previous schedule? Ifrequired, round your answer to the nearest cent.
Total cost reduced to $ ________.
