A small popular restaurant at an interstate truck stop provides priority service to truckers. The restaurant has ten tables where customers may be seated. The service time averages 40 minutes once a party is seated. The customer arrival rate is 12 parties per hour, with the parties being equally divided between truckers and non-truckers.
What is the approximate average time in minutes that non-truckers wait to be seated?
A) 2.7
B) 4.5
C) 8.4
D) 13.6
E) 15.8

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Given the service time of 40 minutes and an arrival rate of 12 parties per hour (6 truckers and 6 non-truckers), the restaurant can serve 15 parties per hour (60 minutes / 40 minutes per party). However, since truckers are given priority and there are only 10 tables, non-truckers will have to wait longer. The average wait time for non-truckers can be calculated based on the queue, but given the priority service to truckers and the limited seating, non-truckers will experience significant delays. The correct answer, considering the constraints and the provided options, is approximately 13.6 minutes, which reflects a longer wait time due to the priority given to truckers and the limited availability of tables.

A Small Popular Restaurant at an Interstate Truck Stop Provides