It is perhaps the most common complaint of casino vacationers and regulars alike. No matter how great the food is, the long lines that accompany the best restaurants and buffets in Las Vegas always eat away at countless hours of precious vacation time.
But an innovative mobile-savvy company called NoWait is doing its part to curtail this time-consuming phenomenon that is one of the most unfortunate staples of the casino dining experience.
This week, mGamingWatch spoke to Robb Myer, NoWait’s President and Chief Product Officer.
MGW: For those unfamiliar with your company, what role does NoWait play in the gaming industry today?
Myer: We work with a handful of casinos, mainly in their restaurant establishments. As an overview, NoWait is an iPad-based seating management and wait list management service for casual dining, no reservation restaurants. About two and a half years ago we launched our first product, a simple iPad wait list that used text messaging to notify guests when their tables are ready. And we’ve evolved from that release into full table management and really increasing ways a host can communicate to the consumer while they’re waiting in line through additional messages and a unique mobile webpage that allows the guest of the restaurant to see their place in real time in that line. They physically see this representation of them moving up in the line. Where it’s really pretty interesting, specifically for the casinos and gaming industries, since they are resort type establishments that might have five or six casual dining restaurants within their purview – including buffets, this keeps their guests on the gaming floor and at the slot machines, basically enjoying their experience in the establishment instead of physically waiting in a buffet line or waiting in a line for a restaurant. Now they can just get a notification that it’s time to come back.
MGW: How are restaurants and consumers reacting to the NoWait experience?
Myer: We work very closely with a bunch of different restaurants to understand their unique processes. Our restaurants go from 20 seats up to 650 seats, which I think is our largest restaurant. We work with them to better understand their operations and make their life easier. And then on the guest side of the restaurants, they love it too because they feel like the restaurant is more organized and they can physically see where they are in the line and then get that indication to come back. So we like to say it’s a ‘wait where you want’ experience.
MGW: What are you most excited about today in terms of what NoWait is doing in the mobile arena?
Myer: We’re most excited because we feel like we’re giving people back their most valuable asset and that is time. By allowing them to check in with the restaurant and then leave and do something else and get that message to come back, we feel like we’re giving people a piece of their day back. Some of our restaurants have call-ahead policies, so the guest doesn’t even have to physically be there to get on that list. So they can call on the phone and get put on that wait list. Then they get a text with their placement in the queue. And so as they arrive and are walking up to the casino, they’re also moving up on that list. So when they do arrive, they may only have to wait for 5 minutes. Guests really love the experience.
To learn more about NoWait, check out what Robb and his creative time-saving team are up to at www.NoWaitApp.com.
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