Patent ID: 8209219

Claim:
A method of real time food production management comprising: (a) electronically predicting, based on real time data, demand for an amount of food to be ordered at a food outlet in a specified interval immediately succeeding the generation of said real time data; (b) electronically determining from one or more images of actual food product and actual food product that is being assembled into completed food product acquired in real time by one or more electronic sensors positioned about the food outlet, an amount of completed food product in inventory and an amount of food product that is being assembled into completed food product; (c) serving completed food product from said inventory to patrons of said food outlet; and (d) electronically performing at least one of the following in real time: determining an amount of additional food product requiring preparation beyond the amount of completed food product in inventory and/or the amount of food product being assembled into completed food product in order to satisfy said predicted demand for an amount of food to be ordered; determining an interval of time at least one completed food product has been in inventory; determining an interval of time that a cooked food product component has resided in a cooked food product buffer; determining an interval of time to assemble at least one completed food product; and determining an amount at least one of the following: (i) a food product component; (ii) a condiment; and (iii) a topping residing in a food product assembly buffer based on an initial amount in said buffer and at least one of the following: the predicted amount of food to be ordered, the amount of completed food product in inventory, and the amount of food product being assembled into completed food product.