Route Distance Optimization of Order Delivery in a Fast-food Chain Using Linear Programming

Fast-food chains often offer delivery services. Adding this service will add costs for the fast-food chains. Route distance optimization is a common strategy to minimize costs for transportation problems. Delivery system and assignment can be seen as a transportation problem. A model can be solved using the linear programming approach given the proper variables, constraints, and equations. This paper aims to present a solution to optimize delivery assignments for different branches to minimize cost. The Mixed Integer Linear Programming Model is used in this paper as the method to compute for linear programming. The model was simulated using MATLAB Software. The objective function seeks to minimize the transportation cost of delivery by optimizing the distance between the fast-food chain branches and the customer houses. Constraints and variables were considered, such as the number of products sold and the production capacity of each store. The initial results showed that orders could be assigned to a farther branch to keep up with constraints and optimize the delivery process.