Customers' identification of acceptable waiting times in a multi-stage restaurant system

The problem of waiting is critical in service encounters. No customer feels satisfied when s/he has to wait too long. Therefore, identification of acceptable waiting times is a good starting step in effective wait time management in a restaurant. Thus, this study was designed to provide restaurant managers with insights on acceptable waiting times for customers. Results showed that the acceptable waiting times vary depending on the service process stages and respondents' expectation levels (satisfactory, unsatisfactory, and very unsatisfactory). Participants placed different levels of importance on each stage of wait, and gender and age categories influenced their responses.