Glossary

On a wait

What does on a wait mean in a restaurant?

A restaurant is "on a wait" when no tables are immediately available and arriving parties are being quoted a wait time and added to the list. It is a state, not a place: the host stand flips from "right this way" to quoting twenty minutes, managing the queue, and matching freed tables to waiting parties by size and order. Calling the wait accurately is a skill built on knowing turn times: three deuces about to drop checks means a 10-minute quote for couples and a 45-minute quote for a six-top. Going on a wait early, before the room is actually full, is how experienced hosts keep the door from outrunning the floor.