Ratio of Cook and Waiter
Here is the most effective ratio of staff:
3 staffs - 2 cooks : 1 waiter
4 staffs - 3 cooks : 1 waiter
5 staffs - 4 cooks : 1 waiter (you better always keep the waiter's energy level above 80%) or 3 cooks : 2 waiters if you don't want to feed your waiter so often.
6 staffs - 4 cooks : 2 waiters
7 staffs - 5 cooks : 2 waiters
8 staffs - 6 cooks : 2 waiters
As you can see, the best ratio is about 3 cooks per 1 waiter.
Table Arrangement
In order to effectively serve all the customers, you need to minimize the travel distance for waiter. To minimize the distance between the stove and customer's table, you will minimize the time for the waiter to travel, therefore you can save more time and avoid the customer to wait too long for their dish.
for example:
This waiter can serve 7 tables without even travel a single space. However, this is just a demonstration because 1 cooks can NEVER serve 7 tables.
Here are some suggestion for table arrangement:
2 cooks 1 waiter
3 cooks 1 or 2 waiters
4 cooks 2 waiters
5 cooks 2 waiters
Useful hint!!!: The best ratio between cook and table is 1:3, 1 cook serve 3 tables. By the time your cook finished the 3rd dish, your 1st customer is already finished his meal and leave the restaurant. If you put more than 3 tables, your cook probably will not have enough time to serve all customers.
In my opinion, best ratio between cooks, waiters and tables are:
3 staffs - 2 cooks : 1 waiter : 6 tables
4 staffs - 3 cooks : 1 waiter : 9 tables
5 staffs - 4 cooks : 1 waiter : 12 tables or 3 cooks : 1 waiter: 9 tables
6 staffs - 4 cooks : 2 waiters : 12 tables
7 staffs - 5 cooks : 2 waiters : 15 tables
8 staffs - 6 cooks : 2 waiters : 18 tables
also see: http://forum.playfish.com/showthread.php?t=534672 for more information
