Japanese ramen shop — Shop floor process flow optimization redefined

My first meal in Japan is the famous Japanese delicacy — ramen.

Raaaammmeeeeennnn! I’m famished!

First of all, pardon me for my over-excitedness, but I am super impressed! At their customer flow and efficiency that is!

Apparently this store is super popular among tourists, so much that there’s a queue way up to the third floor. You queue for the row of vending machines (!!), slip in some money in one of them, order your food, take your coupon, and queue up again.

Queue up here to get to the “food vending machine”. It’s 10pm, and the queue is 3-storeys long!

Pick the food/drinks/desserts/extra noodles that you want, insert some money……

…and you get your food vouchers!

There’s a separate queue for single customers. A waiter will monitor a “seat vacancy board”, and will direct you to a seat once it’s vacant and cleaned up. You then pass your order to the waiter via a small window. Within a minute, the food and drinks are served.

I was gobsmacked by this when I first set my eyes on it.

Cute, tiny, personal eating space, with everything you need.

See how many lonely people are there?

The waiter will hand you your food via a small opening at the counter.

I ordered extra noodles because I was famished. I was given a metal plaque for that. Once I’m done with my first servings and ready for my second, I just need to place the metal plaque onto a sensor, and voila! Your seconds is served!

There was a metal plaque given to me as I’ve ordered extra noodles. However, I did not manage to take a photo of it as their service was just too quick! はやいね! As I placed the bar on this sensor, it rang immediately, and a waiter appeared, took the metal plaque away, and handed me my second servings of noodles.

Got to give it to the Japs! いちばん ichiban!