Managing Impromptu Diners Just Got Easier with Two New Yelp Waitlist Features

Since acquiring Nowait in 2017, we’ve continued to integrate it into Yelp and introduce features that benefit both diners and restaurants. We’re seeing the results in action; more people are joining restaurant waitlists through the Yelp app than ever before. Yelp Waitlist has saved diners more than 4.1 billion minutes of wait time to date.

Leveraging the popularity and success of our existing waitlist feature and seating tools, we’re excited to introduce two new initiatives that are driving incredible foot traffic while also helping restaurateurs serve diners more efficiently: Yelp Waitlist Kiosks and the On My Way feature.

Yelp Waitlist Kiosks

The new kiosks save restaurants time and money by digitizing the waitlist clipboard, freeing up the host to focus on providing exceptional customer service and other tasks. The kiosks are particularly valuable to restaurants that don’t employ a dedicated host.

Available to restaurants across the U.S., Yelp Waitlist Kiosks make the lives of both diners and restaurant staff easier. The kiosks allow diners to add themselves to a restaurant’s queue upon arrival and receive updates about their table availability directly through their phone. Simultaneously, it helps keep the front of the restaurant clear of anxious diners waiting to hear their name called.

Yelp Waitlist On My Way

We’re also excited to introduce a new On My Way feature that allows diners using the Yelp app to let a business know that they are en route when there isn’t currently a wait. With this information, restaurants can better predict visits, be prepared for diners when they arrive and seat up to 10% more diners during non-busy hours. The feature gives users peace of mind, knowing that the restaurant is now expecting them, and gives restaurant staff information to better plan for customers.

The On My Way feature is currently in beta and available to participating restaurants in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

As the leading resource in connecting people with great local businesses, it’s only natural that we’re also providing tools to enable restaurants to strengthen their connections with diners.

Yelp is not just where diners discover local restaurants; it’s where they can transact with them, too. Through our suite of restaurant offerings, restaurant operators can manage waitlists, reservations, delivery and improve customer retention and loyalty through Yelp’s various restaurant products.