Guest perceptions of wait times using tablet technology in restaurant environment

Abstract

Upon entering a restaurant, a guests dining experience often begins with waiting to be seated. Many restaurants are incorporating tablets into the guest experience. These tablets are used in hopes of increasing revenue and overall guest satisfaction. When a guest perceives their wait as too long, the restaurants overall first impression may become tarnished making service recovery difficult. The purpose of this study is to analyze how guests perceive wait times traditionally, and how perceptions change when tablet technology is incorporated into their experience. Research was done in a controlled restaurant setting. Findings show subjects with tablets waited longer than non-tablet users. Tablets also increased wait area enjoyment, and subjects with tablets did not get uncomfortable as quickly as non-tablet users. Restaurants can take advantage of this study to implement tablet technology during the pre-process stage of service in hopes of improving guest satisfaction.