News

British losing patience waiting in line for food

October 4, 2019

The British are known for their patience, but when it comes to waiting in line at a restaurant, their patience is wearing thin.

The average Brit will spend 47 days queuing over their lifetime, according to a study Kurve Kiosks commissioned this month. The survey, conducted by OnePoll of 2,000 adults, revealed the average Brit will spend 51 minutes waiting in line each week — leaving it unsurprising the nation has a reputation for complaining about queuing.  

About one third of the respondents said having to wait to order food or drink is unacceptable. And 62% said venues, bars, casual dining and coffee shops should be doing more to reduce queue time. Forty-one percent said they would choose a self-service kiosk over a cashier.

And while a third would still rather go to a manned cash point or a cashier, two in five believe self-service kiosks are more efficient.

"On average, Brits say that the longest they have ever stood in line was just over an hour, and 42% have complained because of a wait in the past," Steven Rolfe, CEO of Kurve Kiosks, said in a press release on the findings. "Standing in a long, polite queue is a shared national experience and part of British culture — but that doesn't mean we have to like it, and it doesn't mean improvements can't be made."

"It's not surprising that in the last twelve months, self-serve technology has been top of the agenda for many U.K. hospitality operators, with roll-outs predicted to soar in 2020," he said.

Brits would still be happy to be served in person when it comes to fine dining, pubs and bars and coffee shops, and the all-important human touch is not going to be leaving the foodservice sector for a long time yet.

In an attempt to avoid a long line, 37% of respondents have used a self-service kiosk at a fast food restaurant. Besides trying to avoid a queue, reasons given for choosing self-service were being able to avoid speaking to people, the freedom to design your own order and the general convenience.

In fact, one third would like to see more self-service kiosks at fast food restaurants, while a quarter would like to see them at visitor attractions. The longest length of time Brits are willing to wait for fast food is seven minutes and 32 seconds before they abandon their order and move onto another outlet.

It also emerged that while 15 minutes and 47 seconds was considered too long to wait for a visitor attraction, Brits had waited as long as 20 minutes and 13 seconds. And 22 minutes and 20 seconds was deemed too long to wait for a concert, but many had experienced a wait as long as 29 minutes and five seconds.

The survey showed that to pass the time in line, 18% play on their phone, one in 10 talk to the person next to them and one fifth day dream. And the majority of the nation, 64%, believe people are getting ruder, meaning fewer people queue in a polite manner these days. 

Image courtesy of Kurve Kiosks.