No, is an online system for restaurants that primarily operate on a first-come first-served basis or any restaurant that manages a waitlist. Q presents your real-time availability online, enabling customers to come in for available tables, or add to a waitlist remotely. In addition, Q is an excellent host tool for table management, server sections, and handling walk-in waitlisting.

Q helps both restaurants and diners meet their desires. Customers want to make choices from their phone, and come in without waiting for tables. First-come first-served restaurants want to seat tables as fast as possible without ever holding empty tables for arriving parties. The Q system achieves this.

With this technology, restaurants can expect 3-10% more customers because of the information and convenience provided for customers. As a bonus, your phone calls are greatly reduced, return customer rates increase, and your lobby is less chaotic. More customers, smoother operations, happy guests…Q delivers.

It sounds scary that parties get on the waitlist remotely, but it isn’t. Hosts should do exactly the same as they do today with a list of walk-in parties. Seat the party next on the list that is present. Skip to the next if the aren’t. Q isn’t a reservation system and customers know it’s a waitlist. When they get on the list, they are advised to check-in 10 minutes before the estimated top of list time, and also advised that if they don’t arrive within a certain time, they will lose their place in line. Customers know the rules before arriving.

In fact, most customers are so happy to know the wait before arriving and add to the list - that they don’t even mind if they aren’t seated immediately.

Also, because it’s all in real-time “get on the list” and not a table reservation days or weeks in advance, customers show because they are already on the way to the restaurant. Since our inception, with thousands of people using Q, we’ve had less than a 1% no-show rate.

We know that sometimes restaurants need to take reservations for special events or large parties. The Q host app has a module to support this. It manages any reservations that are accepted by the restaurant. You can make party notes and set specific table requests which are saved with the reservation. Reservations automatically roll into the arrivals screen 1.5 hours before check-in, allowing hosts time to make a seating plan. Reservations can be viewed or edited at any time within the host app.

Paper is analog, Q is digital. The world is digital and 90% of consumers make a plan from their phone on where to go out. Often, customers are making plans only a few hours or even minutes in advance. Consumers today choose where services are provided with convenience. Restaurants need to meet consumers where they are at – during the decision making from their phones.

Consider the perspective of your customers. They can order their Starbucks from their phone to save 3-4 minutes. They can use traffic apps to commute a little faster. When you don’t have real-time availability, and customers know you are frequently busy, what do the do? First, they call (which they hate) and IF the phone is answered, hosts say things like “We are a little busy now, I cannot say how busy we will be later, our policy is to only place you on the list when you arrive with your entire party….” Consumers today are much less willing to wait when other options exist. If your restaurant is not offering availability from guest phones they will pick other options even if they like your restaurant.

Q is the solution for bringing your restaurant into the digital world. It is simple to use, it has integrated text messaging, and all the tools you need to manage customers. Q allows you to operate exactly the same as you do now but gives your restaurant the online presence that enables customers an easy choice to dine at your restaurant.

Q can be set up by any management person in 10-20 minutes. Literally you could download on any newer iPad and within 30 minutes be using it for customers. It’s that easy.

For hosts, Q is easy to adapt to because it’s very intuitive and works much like the paper list and marker pen map most people already use. Plus, upon signing up, we provide training videos, phone support, and any help needed to get you going.

No, in fact, the Q team abhors cheating or line-skipping. Q places parties on the list in a first-come first-served basis. It makes no difference if they use their phone to add to the list, or walk-in, each customer is treated the same, and every party waits their turn regardless of how added to the list. Also, with respect to cheating, Q has taken multiple measures to assure there is no gaming of wait lists. A party can only be on one restaurant Q list at any given time.
Customers LOVE the app, and it grows in popularity daily. It’s simple, if you give customers an easy way to come to your restaurant, without calling to find out if you are busy, or potentially waiting, they will come more often. Don’t believe us, check out our media reviews.
Q handles walk-ins just like you do today. You simply seat parties and when full, add them to a waitlist on the iPad host app. Special reservations are just as easily added into the system, and are saved. Reservations can be viewed or edited at any time by the restaurant, and appear on your arrival list automatically on the reservation date.
No, Q is faster and better than any other system, including paper. Q will provide your employees more time because it reduces phone calls, saves time in recalling parties to be seated, and reduces front-of-house chaos when restaurants are full. In fact, one restaurant had their iPad stolen and couldn’t use Q for a week. They went back to paper and immediately realized how much more difficult and time consuming paper was. They replaced the iPad, got back to using Q, and immediately eased their operations.
Restaurants can easily set themselves up in about 20 minutes. Simply download "Q Host Restaurant App" from the App Store on any newer iPad and follow the instructions. After set-up, you can start using the app immediately.

For restaurants that operate only as walk-in, and sometimes fill up with wait times, Q is without doubt something you should have at your restaurant. It’s the way the whole world is going – choosing where to go, what to buy from their phones.

If you are a new restaurant anticipating to soon become full, Q is for you. It helps advertise your restaurant, and fills your available tables.

If you are a restaurant that is still using paper waitlists, marker-pen table maps, Q is definitely for you.

If your restaurant takes reservations but holds back some table inventory on busiest days to manage walk-in demand, Q is a great way to assure all tables stay filled.

It’s simple, people make most of their decisions to go out within a few hours of when they want to arrive. Use Q to give customers a way to convert from a phone to a fork in their hand.

If you’ve ever been frustrated with waiting for a table at restaurants, you’re going to love Q. Q waitlist guest app is available for iPhone and Android phones. The app enables you to see all restaurants on our system, and find out if they have a wait time. No more calling around to find out if a restaurant is busy, or if they will add you to their list before arriving. Now you can do that from your phone. No more racing to get on the list early, or sending someone to hold a place in line. Install the app, view the map to see restaurants and know from your phone if they have a wait time. When there is a wait time, get on the list remotely from your phone and simply arrive when you are at the top of the list. Here’s a short video on how it works.

Yes, the app is free to download, and at most* restaurants it’s free to Q to the waitlist.

*For a few restaurants there is a $5 party fee to add to the waitlist when the wait times are greater than 20 minutes.

We are quickly signing up new locations expanding city by city. If you have a favorite restaurant that frequently has a wait time, suggest the location from within the search option of the app and will contact the restaurant. Or, just let them know you want them to start using Q and to check out www.qwaitlist.com

Yes and no. Yes, it allows you to add to the list and hold a place in line using your phone. No, it doesn’t allow you to hold a specific table in advance. You will be given an estimated wait time until your table is ready, just like if you had walked in and were added to a wait list and stood in line

See our video on how it works.

No, only the party organizer needs the app. He/She adds the entire party to the list under their name, and then invites other contacts advising them they are in Q. Each of the others in the party get a text telling them when and where to arrive. The text will provide a link to the Q app if others in the party want to monitor your place in line real-time. Otherwise, they don’t need the app, and just show up.
No problem, your place on the list will be retained under the original party size. Before you arrive, either find others to fill their spot, or advise the host when you arrive. Note, changes in planned party size will be handled by the host and may result in longer wait times. Make sure your entire party arrives and checks in on time.
A table will usually become available close to the estimated quote. However, wait times by their nature are only estimates of when other seated parties will leave. Hosts sometimes need to update wait times which can be more or less than originally quoted. Fortunately, Q is connected real-time to the host system, so any update will show on your phone allowing you to adjust accordingly.
Restaurants really need parties to arrive on time serve all customers fairly. Q provides a small amount of grace time in the system. If you miss your grace time, your party will be deleted from the list losing your place in line. We recommend calling the restaurant if late, and depending on restaurant policy, they will do what they can.

Q Reminder is as close as you can get to a reservation - at restaurants that don’t take reservations.

Set a Q reminder for up to 2 weeks in advance for the party size/place/date/time you want to go out. On that date, Q reminder will automatically monitor the wait time, and send you a text at the right moment to Q your party so that you’ll be at the top of the waitlist when you arrive.

Example: You set a Q Reminder for a party of 4, to eat at Joe’s diner, on Friday the 15th, at 7:30pm. On the 15th, the Q app will monitor the wait times. If at 6:45, there is a 45 minute wait time, the Q app will text you advising “Q your party now to be at the top of the list at 7:30”. Then just head to the restaurant at your check-in time.

NOTE: You must still act on the date set for arrival and add your party to the list when the Q reminder alerts you.

Tell them about Q!

Q and has many benefits for restaurants. Q brings them more customers, reduces crowded lobbies, saves answering the phone calls about the wait time, and much more. Importantly, tell them it makes customers happier, and want to visit their restaurant more often because of the added convenience.

You can also suggest locations to us and we will follow up with the restaurant. Just check our search function at the top of the app and suggest a new location.

One of the best features of Q, is that you’ll also know when restaurants have available tables. No more calling to find out. If the app says "available", just head on in. Remember to check the Q frequently as wait times can change quickly.
Nope, we don’t do that – ever.
The Q time is the estimated time remaining before your party is at the top of the list.
Because many restaurants don’t have large tables to accommodate, it becomes more complex. Restaurants prefer to handle large parties either from advance reservations, or after the entire party has arrived and available.