The problem with a paper waitlist
On a Friday evening at a busy cafe or a popular breakfast spot, the host writes names on a pad, guesses a wait time, and shouts names across the entrance. Guests crowd the door because they are afraid to lose their turn, some give up and leave, and nobody can tell a family how many groups are ahead of them. A restaurant waitlist that guests join from their own phone keeps the line honest and lets people wait in the car, the mall or outside in the shade instead of the doorway.
How the Wink You waitlist works
The waitlist is a live queue per branch. Staff start it when the rush begins, and while it runs your QR Digital Menu welcome page shows Join the Waitlist with the number of people waiting. Guests join themselves, staff add walk ins, and the list on the Waitlist page updates live for everyone. When staff seat a party, everyone behind them moves up on their phones by itself.
Step by step for staff
- Open Dine in, then Waitlist.
- Under Branch waitlist control, click Start waitlist for the branch. Guests can now join from the QR menu.
- To add a guest at the door, click Add walk in, type the Customer Name, a Phone (optional), the Party Size and the Estimated wait in minutes, then Add to queue.
- When a table is free, click Seat. The guest is told their table is ready and everyone behind moves up.
- Use No Show or Cancel when needed, or Put back in the queue to restore a guest. Click a wait time to change one guest’s estimate.
- Click Stop waitlist at closing time.
What the guest sees
The guest taps Join the Waitlist, sees how many parties are ahead, types a name and phone number, picks the party size and taps Join now. Their place in the queue and the expected wait appear straight away. They keep that page open, it updates as parties ahead are seated, and it tells them when their table is ready. Guests who join through the App Clip on an iPhone can also follow their place on the lock screen as a Live Activity.
Setting the wait time guests see
The estimate on the guest’s phone comes from one number per branch. Open Branches, click Configure on the branch, scroll to Order Settings and set Waitlist: minutes per party, from 1 to 120. A guest with three parties ahead is told three times that number, so with 12 minutes they see about 36 minutes. Save in the bar at the bottom. Staff can still change a single guest’s estimate on the Waitlist page when a table is taking longer than usual.
What the manager sees
The cards at the top of the Waitlist page show Waiting now, Total guests, Avg wait and Branches active, and a column shows how each guest joined: QR, App Clip or Staff. Old entries do not pile up either. A guest still waiting after the end of the business day they joined is closed as a no show automatically, following the branch’s own time zone and opening hours, so tomorrow’s queue starts clean and the people ahead count stays correct.
Waitlist or reservations?
They solve different problems and many restaurants use both. Reservations are for guests who plan ahead and want a table at a set time; they hold a specific table and block it for other bookings. The waitlist is for the guests who simply turn up, which in the Gulf is most of the weekend crowd at cafes, breakfast places and casual dining. A family that books for 8 pm goes on Reservations. A family that arrives at 8 pm without a booking goes on the waitlist. Both lists live in Business Admin under Dine in, and both send the guest a clear answer instead of a guess.
Tips for a busy night
- Start the waitlist before the door gets crowded, not after. Guests who see the queue on the menu join it instead of standing at the host stand.
- Put a QR code at the entrance as well as on the tables, so arriving guests can scan without asking.
- Set the minutes per party for each branch from what really happens there. A quick cafe and a family restaurant turn tables at very different speeds.
- When a guest steps away and comes back, use Put back in the queue rather than adding them again at the end.
- Stop the waitlist when the kitchen stops seating, so nobody joins a queue that will not be served.
What is not included
- No SMS or WhatsApp message when the table is ready. The guest is told on the waitlist page they keep open, or on the iPhone lock screen when they joined through the App Clip.
- Guests can only join while a branch’s waitlist is started. When it is stopped, the button is not on the menu.
Frequently asked questions
How do guests join the waitlist?
They scan your QR code, tap Join the Waitlist on the welcome page, enter a name, phone and party size, and tap Join now.
Can I add a guest who does not want to scan?
Yes. Click Add walk in on the Waitlist page and type their details. They take their place in the same queue.
How is the wait time worked out?
Parties ahead multiplied by the branch’s minutes per party. Staff can override it for one guest.
What happens to guests left on the list at closing?
Anyone still waiting after the end of that business day is marked as a no show automatically.
The waitlist comes with the QR Digital Menu: winkyou.com/products/qr-menu. Step by step videos: winkyou.com/support/dine-in/how-to-manage-the-waitlist and winkyou.com/support/qr-digital-menu/how-customers-join-the-waitlist-and-follow-their-place.