Exam 11: Waiting for Service

Which statement best describes the typical guest's response to waiting?

The Rainforest Cafe calls itself "a wild place to shop and eat." This expression suggests that it manages the line by diverting its guests rather than doing nothing or closing the doors.

In a perfect world, the flow of guests meets the supply of service exactly causing only short waits.

If the people in a line are a more select clientele with identifiable features, variability in treatment of the waiting guests may be necessary to ensure that the quality of the entire experience meets the guest expectations.

Mathematically determining the relationship between the service provider's capacity and the average waiting time for the guest can allow the organization to find the ideal balance between the two.

According to the text, which line type do guests tend to prefer?

"People don't want to wait in two lines" has been said to be a disadvantage of multi-phase queues.

The organization can influence the guest's reaction to the wait before service begins and during service, but not after service.

A poor illustration of a single-channel, single-phase queue would be

Waits of certain length feel longer than waits of uncertain length.

Which statement best describes a typical guest's perception of wait?

The term queue discipline refers to

While waiting in line at a busy pizza restaurant it is a bad idea to offer free mini-slices beause it will make the wait feel longer since you have now whet their appetite.

In waiting line discussions, channel means server.

When Disney created a special after-hours ticket to its most popular attractions, it was practicing a "shifting demand" strategy.

Using the design day concept, if demand is more than the capacity, guests will be ______ (but/and) the facility will be ______

Calling guests after the service experience and asking their opinion actually adds to the service experience itself.

At a hotel, long lines pile up at check-in and check-out each day. What is the best strategy for handling those lines?

If a waiting line is short and you are aware of the make-up of the guests in line such as those waiting for an up-scale brunch at a 5-star hotel, you can vary the treatment of the waiting line by offering them scones, mimosas, tropical fruit juice, or Bloody Marys while they wait, all of which is included in the price of the brunch.

When capacity is the best trade-off for both the guest and the facility, this is called a