As any conference-goer can attest, the shortest distance between two points is not a straight line when that line is the lunch line. At lean conferences like the ones I’ve attended, it’s especially incongruous to hear stories all morning about customer service and flow, and then later stand in a long line at the lunch buffet.

(I confess: I’m not sure if I should be classified as the customer waiting for service or as inventory in queue before the serving process. Can someone please help me clear up my role in that scenario?)

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