A long wait for a restaurant table may not be the customer turnoff it’s been assumed to be, new research reveals.
The scholarly International Journal of Hospitality Management reports in its current edition that a line outside a restaurant is often taken as validation of a guest’s decision to eat there. But spending too much time on the queue can erode the conviction if online reviews or other assessments fail to reinforce the impression that this is a hot place.
The study was conducted by a team from Penn State University’s School of Hospitality Management.
It adds considerable nuance to the long-held conviction that customers don’t want to wait to be seated. The findings show that consumers are willing to stand in line, but not for a long stretch.
The precise limit to their patience was not revealed. Rather, the report indicates that the waiting customers’ tolerances are significantly influenced by what’s being said about the restaurant by third parties like citizen-reviewers who post opinions online.
The study also makes a strong case that a restaurant’s sheer popularity can be as much of a customer hook as a reputation for quality or attractive prices.
A line out a restaurant’s door can be a particularly strong lure for patrons who are unfamiliar with the place. The first-timer assumes “that all of the other consumers waiting at the entrance to the restaurant know something that they do not,” the study’s abstract notes.
The report was published as restaurant chains continue to search for ways to decrease wait and service times. Many sit-down brands now allow customers to put their names on digital waitlists that enable the patrons to go about their business instead of waiting at the restaurant. The system lets them know when their table is ready.
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