Waiting Time in Restaurants: How to Reduce It
Waiting time in restaurants has a big impact on the customer experience and the profitability of the business.
The more a customer has to wait — whether to get in or to receive their order —, the greater their dissatisfaction. Also, if service is too slow, the establishment loses the chance to serve other customers and sell more.
In this article, check out some tips to reduce waiting time in restaurants and learn what to do to provide the best experience for your customers! Follow along!
What is the maximum waiting time in a restaurant?
Before we look at the tips to reduce waiting time in restaurants, it's important to clear up some very common questions: what is the maximum waiting time in a restaurant? Is the customer required to wait for the order?
There is no law that sets the maximum waiting time. No entanto, se o cliente considerar que está demorando demais, ele tem o direito de desistir do pedido e não pagar nada. Afinal, ele só tem a obrigação de pagar por aquilo que consumiu de fato.
That's why the recommendation is to always tell the customer the average waiting time for the dish they ordered or to get a table. That way, they don't build up an expectation and can also decide whether or not they want to wait.
Understanding consumers' rights is essential for providing good service and handling complaints properly. To avoid conflicts, the ideal is for service to be fast and the customer to wait as little as possible.
The faster, the better
Efficient service can be a big differentiator for your restaurant. Customers really are surprised when they're served promptly and receive their orders quickly. So, have no doubt that this will be valued.
The advantages of having fast service are many. Among them we can mention:
- Greater service capacity
- Increased sales and revenue
- Reduction of lines and crowding
- Improvement in the customer experience
- Greater customer loyalty
- Maintains a good image of the restaurant
Therefore, it's worth refining processes, training the team, and investing in technology to reduce waiting time in restaurants. Check out some ways to do this below!
5 tips to reduce waiting time in restaurants
Waiting time in restaurants depends on several factors. The greater the operational efficiency, the faster you'll be able to serve customers. This ranges from entering the order to payment. See our tips below.
1 – Accept reservations
By accepting reservations, you let customers who plan to visit your restaurant secure their spot and avoid having to stand in the waiting line.
Additionally, you can have predictability of demand and prepare the operation according to the expected number of customers. That way, both service and production become faster.
Create a good reservation policy and rely on an efficient management system to help with organization.
2 – Speed up order entry
Choosing a POS system that's fast is essential to reducing waiting time in restaurants.
With this technology, the waiter can customize and enter orders in just a few seconds, automatically sending them to production.
This reduces the travel time between the table and the kitchen, increasing your team's productivity.
3 – Offer self-service options
Another way to gain more efficiency in your operation is to adopt self-service solutions, such as digital menu, tablets e kiosks.
These technologies give your customer the autonomy to place the order and pay without having to wait for the waiter. That way, service becomes much faster.
4 – Reduce time spent at the table
To avoid waiting lines at your restaurant, it's very important to reduce the time spent at the tables, increasing turnover. In this regard, some details can make a big difference.
For example: if the menu is too long, the customer will likely take longer to decide what to order. That's why creating a menu with fewer options and doing engenharia de cardápio are great strategies to make choosing easier.
Waiters should also always be ready to take orders, close the tab, and receive payment quickly.
5 – Organize production in the kitchen and bar
Efficiency in production is what most impacts waiting time in restaurants. So, besides the well-known best practices, like doing prep work and dividing up roles, you can implement a sistema KDS.
It's connected to the POS and organizes orders automatically. You can view all orders, know the status of each one, divide production by stations, track the timer, and receive notifications if the production time has been exceeded.
Additionally, the KDS also has a runner screen and sends notifications to the waiter when the order is ready, speeding up delivery to the customer.
How to improve the customer experience while they wait
By following the tips above, you'll certainly reduce the waiting time at your restaurant.
Even so, if demand is high (which is great!), your customers will probably still have to wait a bit. Some ways to improve the experience are:
- Pleasant environment: having a comfortable space where the customer can wait, avoiding lines and crowding at the entrance.
- Waiting time estimate: as we mentioned earlier, telling the average waiting time to get a table or to receive the order helps the customer decide whether they want to wait and aligns expectations.
- Apps for queue management: some restaurants offer apps so the customer can track the queue without having to wait on site.
- Alternatives: if the customer finds the waiting time too long, you can offer alternatives such as placing the order for Take away or having something at the bar, for example.
- Trained team: your staff should be trained to relay the correct information to customers and handle possible dissatisfaction.
These are just a few ideas of what you can do so your customer feels welcomed and well served, even if they have to wait.
Get to know EPOC and optimize your restaurant's operation
To have operational efficiency and provide fast service, technology is your best ally.
EPOC is a restaurant platform with POS, ERP, digital menu, self-service, KDS solutions and much more.
We offer all the resources you need to achieve excellence and get the best results in your business. Fale com nossos consultores and see how we can help.
