Restaurant table management to reduce customer waiting times

Abstract

Long waiting times can be a major source of customer dissatisfaction. Restaurant table management is an effective operational strategy that can be used to reduce waiting time, improve seat turnover, and increase customer satisfaction without costly capacity expansion. This study investigated the impact of table assignment polices on waiting time performance and the effects of key demand features (party size distribution and arrival rate) on best policy selection. A restaurant simulation model with the spatial priority concern for table location and combination showed the best policy varied by party size distribution and arrival rate.