0. Introduction
In the previous article, I introduced how the Toyota Production System (TPS) can be applied to pubs and small restaurants. [See: Why Toyota Production System Is Necessary for Pub Operations]
We explored why the Just-In-Time principle is essential in food service, especially in an environment where demand prediction is nearly impossible. This post will cover the 8 core principles of Toyota Pub:
- Bottleneck Management
- Heijunka (Production Leveling)
- Kanban System
- Andon System
- Poka-Yoke (Fail-Safe Systems)
- 5S Activity
- Standardized Front-of-House Operations
- Toyota Pub-style Kaizen—and how they work in a real-life kitchen.
1. Bottleneck Management
(1) Modularize Cooking Processes
In TPS, each production step is modular—autonomous, self-contained units rather than linear dependencies. In a pub kitchen, modular cooking means one machine = one menu item.
For example:
- Stove 1 = Goulash
- Stove 2 = Chicken Paprikash
- Fryer = Schnitzel
- Oven = Schweinshaxe
Human intervention is minimal—we only check doneness and seasoning. This is called Jidoka: machines handle the work autonomously, and humans intervene only when problems arise. If a chef is manually stretching dough or pan-frying every dish by hand, this is not modular—it creates bottlenecks. Menus that rely heavily on human effort cannot run in parallel, and you must hire more staff to handle volume. That’s cost inefficiency.
(2) Use Multiple Small Appliances, Not One Large Machine
For example, when mixing dough:
- One large mixer (1 batch): 15 mins
- Two small mixers (split batch): 10 mins
Why? Smaller volume → faster energy transfer → quicker gluten formation. The same applies to sauces, batters, or creams. Larger batches may seem more efficient, but they create bottlenecks due to longer heat transfer and prep time. Thus, using multiple small tools in parallel is often faster than batching with one large unit.
(3) Active Line Balancing (Sho-in-ka)
When dishwashing becomes a bottleneck, reassign staff immediately. For instance, if your dish machine takes 10+ mins per load, deploy someone for manual washing. The head chef’s job is not just cooking, but monitoring and resolving bottlenecks in real-time, like a conductor adjusting tempo mid-performance.
(4) Sequence Work by Reverse Lead Time
Let’s say:
- Boiling pasta = 10 mins
- Sauce prep = 20 mins
You shouldn’t cook pasta → then make sauce = 30 mins. Instead, start sauce first. While it simmers, boil and chill the pasta. Time the flow so both finish together. Likewise, if a steak and a pasta order come in:
- Start pasta sauce first
- Heat steak pan while sauce reduces
- Plate pasta → finish steak midrare → Both dishes ready together
Start tasks with the longest lead times first, then switch to short ones while the machine works autonomously.
That’s the essence of TPS time optimization. [See: How to Serve 5 Different Pub Dishes in 15 Minutes: A Toyota-Inspired Kitchen Workflow]
2. Heijunka – Production Leveling
Heijunka means maintaining a consistent production flow despite variable orders. For example, what if you produce 3 A and 3 B? Fordism teaches us to produce from AAA -> BBB. Because this is a specialized batch production method. However, in a next process that requires A and B one by one, you must wait until B is completed. And AA remains in the process as work in progress.
Toyota Motors says to produce it like this: ABABAB. And when sets A and B are completed, they are immediately taken over in the next process. So how should you apply this to your pub?
(1) Reject Orders that Disrupt Flow
In pubs, you must refuse:
- Preorders before full party arrives
- Walk-in group orders
- Queue-based “early ordering”
These disrupt rhythm. The kitchen is flowing ABC–ABC style, then FOH throws in DEFG (Menus) all at once? That’s chaos. A bit less sales is better than a broken flow.
(2) Eliminate Real-Time-Only Dishes
Pasta, steak, burgers = high lead time, real-time dependency → Forces specialization → Prevents flow production (ABABAB). Instead: Use slow-cooked, reheat-friendly dishes like stews, oven roasts, and fried items. This allows parallel flow without overloading equipment or staff.
(3) Zero Setup Time
In TPS, There is a concept called SMED = Single-Minute Exchange of Dies. → It means Change over between products must take under 10 minutes. In pubs, this means:
- No shared equipment between dishes
- No overlapping cooking processes
- Minimal prep time between items
Ex: Using the same pan for pasta and steak = bad. You must clean, reheat, reset → delays.
Since a pub must prepare multiple menu items simultaneously, minimizing lead time is everything. For this reason, it is critical to avoid using multi-purpose cooking equipment. The time spent washing and reusing the same tool is a serious waste. Use dedicated equipment matched to each menu item.
Also: Standardize every action. Don’t stir a sauce 100 times when 50 is enough. Every second of delay = lead time expansion = wage cost increase. The head chef must monitor processes and standardize action + non-overlap between flows.
3. Kanban System (Information Flow)
In TPS, Kanban = visualizing demand to trigger upstream production. In restaurants, we don’t use physical cards—we use real-time communication between kitchen and FOH = “Virtual Kanban”.
Examples:
- If kitchen is mid-flow, FOH must slow down order intake
- If a dish is sold out, communicate fast to avoid reorders and backtracking
- Pushing too many tickets at once causes fatigue, undercooked food, and ruined seasoning.
Flow of information = as important as flow of production.
4. Andon System
In Toyota, Andon refers to immediately stopping the production line when an abnormality is detected, solving the problem in real time, and optimizing the flow again. Andon is not about “simply stopping”; it’s about rapid response to restore flow. At Toyota Pub, we monitor not only kitchen bottlenecks but also menu congestion across equipment lines. If too many orders flood in or one specific menu item keeps piling up, we block new table seating instead of accepting more orders. While FOH supports the kitchen to quickly resolve bottlenecks, normal flow is restored before resuming service.
Long-term solution: If one piece of equipment (stove, fryer, oven) keeps getting overloaded, it’s a menu structure issue. Menus must be redesigned to maintain “One Machine = One Cooking Task”.
Real example: I once used my oven for three different reheating items:
- Cream Cheese Kolache
- Apple Strudel
- Hopfelpofel
Each had different reheat temperatures/times. Orders overlapped, causing severe delays. Solution? → I removed Cream Cheese Kolache and Apple Strudel from the menu.
5. Poka-Yoke – Fail-Safe Systems
At Toyota Pub, we follow Jidoka: Machines handle routine work; humans intervene only during abnormalities. However, we also design systems to prevent errors from happening at all = Poka-Yoke.
Tools:
- Standardize recipes, procedures, and checklists
- Use timers, thermometers, and scales
Real example: Even as a solo chef, I have 5 timers—one matched to each machine:
- Stove timer
- Fryer timer
- Oven timer
Each timer ismatched 1:1 to its machine, ensuring process standardization and lead time control.I intentionally set timers to trigger slightly before the standard cook time ends, allowing me to double-check doneness manually.
6. 5S Activity
Many view 5S (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) as a hygiene checklist. At Toyota Pub, 5S is understood asa production optimization tool. Reason: 5S minimizes transition delays between tasks, thus reducing lead time.
✔ Detailed Breakdown:
- Sort: Eliminate unused menus, ingredients, and tools immediately. Don’t hoard.
- Set in Order: Fixed places for every tool. Use labels if necessary.
- Shine: Minimize the number of machines to maintain cleaning capacity.
- Standardize Cleanliness: Trim nails, wear hats, wash hands, use FIFO for ingredients.
- Sustain: Daily checklist maintenance.
Real example: I always keep precision scales and measuring spoons at fixed spots. If you waste even 10 seconds searching for tools during task switches, total lead time expands rapidly.
7. Standardized Front-of-House Operations
Standardized work is not limited to the kitchen. FOH must also operate systematically.
Principles:
- Staff should focus purely on delivering food.
- No unnecessary menu explanations.
- “Enjoy your meal!” and move on.
If FOH staff spend time explaining dishes, they get stuck at tables → order intake slows down → overall flow collapses.
Real example: At a restaurant with 7 tables and 3 FOH staff:
- 1 helped the kitchen
- 2 were stuck explaining menus and processing payments 👉 Result: Total inefficiency.
At Toyota Pub, there’s no time for emotional service. If food is served, staff must return to beer pouring or other flows. Even if some guests prefer detailed explanations, chasing emotional service ruins flow and increases labor cost.
8. Toyota Pub-style Kaizen
In traditional TPS, Kaizen emphasizes:
- On-site worker-led improvements
- Monthly problem-solving reports
- Horizontal deployment of good practices
Of course, that’s ideal. However, at Toyota Pub, I focus Kaizen on the 5WHY method:
Constantly ask “Why?” until the root cause is revealed and the entire flow is optimized.
Real example: “Panko Crust Separation Problem” Analysis
- Why does the panko crust separate from the schnitzel? → Panko isn’t sticking
- Why isn’t it sticking?→ Egg wash isn’t adhesive enough
- Why is the egg wash weak?→ Flour adhesion was missing
- Why no flour adhesion?→ Meat surface was too dry
- Why dry meat?→ Meat dried during refrigerated storage and towel-drying
Conclusion: The common practice of “patting meat dry” before coating was wrong. Through 5 WHY, I reversed conventional wisdom and improved adhesion without drying the meat.
9. Summary
In this post, we completed the 8 core production principles for Toyota Pub.
✔ Bottleneck Management
✔ Production Leveling (Heijunka)
✔ Kanban System
✔ Andon System
✔ Poka-Yoke (Fail-Safe)
✔ 5S Activity
✔ Standardized FOH Operations
✔ Toyota Pub-style Kaizen
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