"Help! I feel like there's a line out the door"

"Help! I feel like there's a line out the door, and I can’t get to everyone!"

…

This is the best possible business opportunity to have, but if you don’t know how to handle it, it can become a biiiiiiig problem.

…

Think of a favorite popular restaurant.

The popular kind, where there’s a line out the door.

Imagine

its owner.

…

When the restaurant owner sees a line out the door

she could

panic

and think

Oh no!

I have to get to everyone

we have to serve everyone

everyone wants to eat here

Hurry up, kitchen!

(Make those noodles boil faster!)

Hurry up, bar!

(Pour those drinks faster!)

she can run around with her hair on fire

she can rush her wait staff

she can rush the bartenders

who might (inadvertently)

kill the experience for the diners enjoying their meals

…

Or

she can

create a waitlist

take names

let folks know how long it might be

before she can seat them

so the very very hungry

can choose to wait,

or get food elsewhere

…

but when she chooses to allow everyone who is waiting

inside the doors,

those people stand around

hovering

looking annoyedly at their watches

clogging pathways for waitstaff

who become challenged to deliver meals to tables

they interrupt the waitstaff, asking

How long’s it gonna be

and they make it impossible

to “get work done”

…

meanwhile

diners are uncomfortable

those who are waiting are impatient

staff are frazzled

the owner is frustrated

…

..

.

Allowing way more people inside the doors of her restaurant

than there are seats and tables

…

Makes it worse for everyone.

…

Consider:

A waitlist.