I went to lunch with a friend at Pok Pok today–my first time there, though it’s walking distance from my house, and I’ve tried to go there several times, but it’s always been too crowded, and I lost all my patience for waiting in line for restaurants when I lived in San Francisco.
Restaurants certainly have plenty of time to engage their customers. According to the study, the average wait per party is 23 minutes, but nearly a third of all parties are waiting more than 30 minutes. Eight percent wait longer than 40 minutes and San Francisco was a part of that eight percent. The waiting line or queue management is a critical part of service industry. It deals with issue of treatment of customers in sense reduce wait time and improvement of service. Luckily, Pok Pok implemented TableUp management software which has allowed them to decrease customer wait times by managing reservations and waitlists.
But we made a point to get there the moment they opened, at 11:30; and we were the third group in; and it was MARVELOUS!!! I see the point, now. Making a great first impression is important so that first-time guests like me turn into repeat fans of your food and service.