The flow, end to end
A guest scans at the door (or before arriving) to take a ticket, the system puts them in the line matching their party size, a suitable table frees up, the system calls them, they are seated, and that table's status flows back into the POS floor plan.
Steps two and three are where the value is. With a single queue, one party of eight that has not arrived blocks ten waiting pairs behind them. Split by party size and each group waits only for tables that actually suit them.
Why party-size lines turn tables faster
Tables are not a fungible resource. Your counts of two-tops, four-tops and large tables are fixed. A single queue forces strict order, which means seating small parties at big tables or making them wait for one.
With separate lines, each table type has its own queue and is refilled the moment it clears. Over one dinner service that is a measurable difference in covers.
No-shows and duplicate tickets
Two practical problems: nobody answers when called, and people take several tickets to hedge.
A no-show should go to the back of the line, not be cancelled outright — they may have stepped out to a shop. For duplicates, tying a ticket to a phone number or device so one guest can hold only one active ticket is the simplest effective control.
- No-shows drop to the back instead of stalling the line
- Staff can recall a party that was skipped
- One active ticket per device or phone number
Do guests have to wait at the door?
No — and that is the biggest gain. Once they hold a ticket they can walk away and watch their position on their phone. That keeps your entrance clear, which matters especially in malls, and makes guests far more willing to wait rather than leave.
How it should connect to the POS
A queue system separate from the POS produces the familiar gap: a party is called but nobody knows which table just cleared, so someone reconciles by hand. Seating should open the table directly on the POS floor plan so the status updates once, not twice.
What to ask when choosing
- Can you run multiple lines split by party size?
- Can guests scan from outside and see their live position?
- Do no-shows go to the back, or get cancelled?
- Is there protection against one guest taking several tickets?
- Does seating sync automatically to the POS floor plan?
- Do the door kiosk and display need dedicated hardware?
Online queueing is a ChatPoint add-on
HK$49 a month for party-size lines, QR tickets and a live display, with seating flowing straight into the POS floor plan. Add or drop it at any time.