AbstractThis paper develops a near optimal policy for opening a second counter in a quick-service restaurant whennpersons are in the first line, given that the arrival process is cyclic rather than purely stationary. A simulation was written in GPSS which permitted the use of different arrival generators during different time segments of the simulated day. Results indicate that asnis varied, waiting time and utilization levels exhibit an S-shaped curve between the pure 1 facility and the 2 facility cases. Results also indicate that a cyclic arrival process greatly increases (relative to the case of exponential arrivals) mean waiting time, facility utilization, and the range ofn. Finding the optimal (least cost) value ofnis illustrated for cases in which costs of customer waiting time can be meaningfully imputed.