Testing the Hypothesis

Opportunity: Every American enjoys a meal out at a restaurant sometime during the year, however, often there is a wait on busy nights such as the weekends and holidays. If there were a technology that would allow consumers and restaurants to report on current wait times at restaurants that would  prevent customers from showing up and leaving after finding out about the significant wait time.

Who: Restaurant-goers
What: They are unaware of restaurant wait times before arriving.
Why: There is currently no system that would allow both consumers and restaurants to provide real-time accurate wait times on different restaurants.

Interview 1: Sophomore at UF
1. How often do you go out to eat at restaurants?
A: I go out to eat probably once or twice a week. I eat most of my meals at home in order to save money as a college student.

2. How long of a wait would prompt you to leave to find somewhere else to eat?
A: Probably any wait longer than 30 minutes, depending on the restaurant.

3. What about having to wait to be seated, if any, bothers you?
A: It doesn't bother me a lot, but waiting more than 30 minutes to be seated means that I will have to wait even more additional time before I am able to actually eat my dinner. Typically, I will try to avoid a wait because I am often busy and don't have time to spend 2 or more hours to eat dinner out.

4. Would you like to know the wait of a restaurant before going?
A: I think so. However, if I was really wanting to eat at a certain restaurant I probably wouldn't care or check the wait time regardless.

5. On a scale of 1/10, how much does your wait time affect your restaurant experience?
A: I'd say about 5/10.

6. Please explain your previous answer.
A: If I show up to a restaurant and there is a very long wait time I will probably already start off my visit with a bad attitude because not only am I waiting but I am also hungry.

Interview 2: 50-year-old male
1. How often do you go out to eat at restaurants?
A: Probably 6-7 times a week.

2. How long of a wait would prompt you to leave to find somewhere else to eat?
A: No more than 15 minutes.

3. What about having to wait to be seated, if any, bothers you?
A: Typically if a restaurant has a wait longer than 15 minutes then there will also be a wait for food as the restaurant is probably busy.

4. Would you like to know the wait of a restaurant before going?
A: Definitely, wait time is a huge consideration for me when dining out.

5. On a scale of 1/10, how much does your wait time affect your restaurant experience?
A: 8/10. I will rarely wait at a restaurant.

6. Please explain your previous answer.
A: As I've gotten older, I have grown more impatient with waiting and I would rather go somewhere else and have a better experience than wait a long period of time.

Interview 3: 25-year-old male
1. How often do you go out to eat at restaurants?
A: I'd say about 3-4 times per week.

2. How long of a wait would prompt you to leave to find somewhere else to eat?
A: No more than an hour.

3. What about having to wait to be seated, if any, bothers you?
A: Personally, I don't really mind waiting as I am usually in good company and I understand that it takes some time for tables to be available if it is a busy night.

4. Would you like to know the wait of a restaurant before going?
A: I think this would be nice if I knew I was in a hurry.

5. On a scale of 1/10, how much does your wait time affect your restaurant experience?
A: 1/10

6. Please explain your previous answer.
A: As I said earlier, waiting doesn't really bother me that much and I am usually pretty understanding that restaurants almost always have a wait time. If one doesn't, I look at it as a positive rather than a negative if they do.

Interview 4: 45-year-old mom
1. How often do you go out to eat at restaurants?
A: Once or twice a week.

2. How long of a wait would prompt you to leave to find somewhere else to eat?
A: Around 20 minutes.

3. Why about having to wait to be seated, if any, bothers you?
A: As a mom with two young children it can be difficult taking them out to a sit-down restaurant and having to wait before being seated adds to the time that they have to behave and sit still which unsurprisingly can be challenging at times for them.

4. Would you like to know the wait of a restaurant before going?
A: Yes. This would be very helpful for my family.

5. On a scale of 1/10, how much does your wait time affect your restaurant experience?
A: 4/10

6. Please explain your previous answer.
A: If I have to wait too long before being seated my children can get fussy and its more enjoyable when my family is able to sit almost right away and be situated.

Interview 5: 27-year-old female
1. How often do you go out to eat at restaurants?
A: I'd say anywhere from 2 to 6 times a week.

2. How long of a wait would prompt you to leave to find somewhere else to eat?
A: Depending on the restaurant and my past experiences with them, I would say I would be willing to wait 30-45 minutes.

3. What about having to wait to be seated, if any, bothers you?
A: If I know the restaurant usually has quick service it typically won't bother me that there is wait because I know that I will be served quickly and will have good service. But if I'm not familiar with the restaurant or know they usually are pretty slow with service then I won't wait because it's not worth the time for me.

4. Would you like to know the wait of a restaurant before going?
A: Of course, I think everyone would enjoy being able to know this.

5. On a scale of 1/10, how much does your wait time affect your restaurant experience?
A: I'd say only about 3/10

6. Please explain your previous answer.
A: I try not to let a wait bother me too much as typically it is out of the hostess's control and I don't mind waiting when I'm with others.

Reflection: While everyone I interviewed agreed that long wait time is dissatisfying, it held more weight for some than others. Some things I had not considered previously would be that how long you might be willing to wait could depend on the restaurant. For instance, if it is your favorite place to eat or you know they always have great service, you might be more apt to wait a little bit longer upfront than if you have had a bad experience in the past. Also, some people don't really mind waiting because they are typically with others and the time passes quickly. Finally, speaking with a mom with two young children really brought a different perspective for me. While a wait might not seem like a big deal to some adults, it becomes a different situation when you have to entertain two young children who may not be as excited to sit for 30 minutes before even being served. All of these interviews really helped me to broaden my thoughts on who this opportunity most directly affects and why.