When are you required to talk to a customer about a wait time?

When are you required to talk to a customer about a wait time?

• A. After a customer has waited 4 minutes or longer and explain cook to order
• B. After 2 minutes
• C. After 5 minutes
• D. Never

Answer: (A)

Proactively informing guests about delays helps manage expectations and keeps the experience respectful and transparent. The standard is to speak up once the wait reaches four minutes or longer, letting the customer know their food is being cooked to order and providing a realistic timeframe for completion. This approach emphasizes the value of fresh, made-to-order food and prevents frustration from silence or surprise about how long the wait is. Saying something at two minutes can be premature because there may not be a noticeable delay yet. Waiting until five minutes isn’t the established threshold, and while you should update if the wait continues, the specified point to initiate the conversation is after four minutes. Never is incorrect because communication is essential to good service.

Proactively informing guests about delays helps manage expectations and keeps the experience respectful and transparent. The standard is to speak up once the wait reaches four minutes or longer, letting the customer know their food is being cooked to order and providing a realistic timeframe for completion. This approach emphasizes the value of fresh, made-to-order food and prevents frustration from silence or surprise about how long the wait is.

Saying something at two minutes can be premature because there may not be a noticeable delay yet. Waiting until five minutes isn’t the established threshold, and while you should update if the wait continues, the specified point to initiate the conversation is after four minutes. Never is incorrect because communication is essential to good service.