Dynamic Routing of food items through a restaurant kitchen improves on
advanced routing methods by being forward looking and forecasting the
time to prepare each of the menu items within an order based on the
current capacity and conditions of individual prep stations. Such Dynamic
Routing has the ability to monitor for current status on a user defined
basis, updating forecasted times based on real-time factors that can
impact these forecasted times. The method improves on advanced routing
methods by keeping track of the status of each and every individual item
within an order as it goes through the preparation process. Therefore, if
one item gets behind or one prep station that is responsible for an item
on that particular order gets behind, the remaining items do not commence
to the prep stations, keeping the balance of the order on track for all
items to complete the preparation process at the same time. Overall, the
present invention encompasses every facet of the preparation process and
every factor that can impact that preparation process, using advanced
logic and algorithms to continuously forecast and adjust forecasted times
at a very granular menu item level to protect workflow, labor efficiency,
and food quality.