“Curtain Calls and Long Queues: Solving Theatre Restroom Surges with the Theory of Constraints”
The magic of live theatre in London is often interrupted not by performance glitches, but by another kind of drama — the dreaded toilet queue. Patrons sprint to the restrooms during three predictable surges: just before the show, during intermission, and right after the curtain call. Despite these intense peaks, the restrooms remain largely idle during the actual performance. The mismatch between demand surges and facility capacity creates frustration, discomfort, and sometimes lost concession revenue.
Applying the Theory of Constraints (TOC) allows us to approach this challenge not as a facilities problem, but as a system constraint issue. TOC teaches us that every system has a limiting factor (the constraint) that determines its overall performance. In this case, the constraint is restroom throughput during peak times. To improve system performance, we must exploit, subordinate to, elevate, or break this constraint.
Here are five TOC-inspired solutions that can meaningfully reduce pressure on restroom facilities during peak times — without needing to build more toilets.
1. Exploit the Constraint: Convert Idle Time into Productive Time
Problem: Restrooms are underused during the show itself.
Solution: Offer incentives for patrons to use restrooms during low-demand periods.
-
Example: Allow early arrivals to use restrooms before seating starts, with signage encouraging them to "beat the intermission rush."
-
Advanced idea: Introduce pre-show activities (e.g., themed photo ops or audio guides) that can occupy patrons near restrooms and nudge them to use the facilities while they wait.
This approach exploits the unused capacity of the constraint during the showtime by encouraging a shift in behavior.
2. Subordinate Other Processes: Coordinate Concessions and Seating
Problem: Patrons must choose between queuing for the toilet and buying refreshments, often doing both in sequence.
Solution: Subordinate concession and re-entry timing to restroom capacity.
-
Introduce priority re-entry: allow those who use the restroom first to re-enter with fast-track access to concessions.
-
Temporarily stagger re-seating to give patrons extra restroom time during intermission.
This aligns other theatre processes (concessions, ushering) to support smoother toilet access, respecting the restroom constraint.
3. Elevate the Constraint: Temporarily Expand Restroom Capacity
Problem: Physical capacity is limited during surges.
Solution: Temporarily increase effective capacity.
-
Deploy portable luxury toilets just outside the theatre during peak shows.
-
Use staffed queue optimization to direct patrons to underused restrooms (e.g., upstairs/downstairs, or gender-neutral overflow areas).
This is a classical TOC move: elevate the capacity of the system’s bottleneck during critical times.
4. Break the Constraint with a System Redesign
Problem: The basic restroom layout assumes constant, not peak-variable, usage.
Solution: Rethink the restroom experience.
-
Introduce quick-access urinals or modular stalls that can be temporarily reconfigured.
-
Convert nearby underused space (e.g., cloakrooms) into pop-up restrooms during peak periods.
This approach breaks the constraint by reimagining the restroom system itself for burst capacity — not just average load.
5. Use the Evaporating Cloud to Resolve the Core Conflict
Conflict:
-
D: We must restrict restroom capacity to control costs and space.
-
D': We must expand restroom capacity to meet peak demand.
-
B (Need for D): Keep operating costs and space usage efficient.
-
C (Need for D'): Ensure a positive patron experience during surges.
-
A (Common Goal): Deliver a high-quality theatre experience that delights patrons and sustains profitability.
Injection: Implement time-based capacity management and behavioral nudges — not just structural expansion.
By seeing the problem as a conflict between cost efficiency and user satisfaction, we can find creative injections that satisfy both. Encouraging behavioral shifts, providing incentives, and using temporary solutions helps evaporate the cloud of trade-offs.
Conclusion: The Curtain Rises on Smarter Design
Toilet queues are not just an infrastructure issue — they’re a constraint in the theatre experience flow. Using TOC principles allows us to identify this bottleneck, explore practical options, and design theatre operations that are both customer-friendly and cost-effective.
By exploiting off-peak times, subordinating other processes, elevating capacity, rethinking physical design, and resolving core conflicts through logic, theatre managers can reclaim those 15 minutes of intermission — and transform them from chaotic sprints into enjoyable breaks.
發表文章
