A method, controller, program product and service are provided for more efficiently managing a resource queue. Two or more queues are configured to handle workloads of various sizes. Resource elements are allocated from the top of each queue and returned to the bottom. The size of each queue may be selected to provide sufficient resource elements to handle a system's various levels of workload. As the workload increases and all of the resource elements in the one queue are allocated, new resource elements are allocated from the top of the next queue and returned to the bottom. When the workload decreases, resource elements are no longer allocated from the queues used for higher workloads. Thus, retention of historical data in the queues is enhanced while efficient cache utilization is maintained.