Patience in line outside a popular restaurant generally runs out after 30 minutes. More than half of consumers said they would support a paid "fast track" that cuts waiting time.
According to a consumer survey released on the 18th by the culinary research firm Honsin and the public relations agency Dongseonambuk, titled "Trend Compass: Patience for Waiting at Must-Visit Restaurants," 51% said they could wait up to 30 minutes when visiting a restaurant that has drawn attention on social media or television — the largest share of responses.
Another 27% said their limit was 15 minutes and 16% said 45 minutes, while only 4% said they would wait up to an hour and 2% said they could wait longer than that. That means roughly eight in 10 respondents, or 78%, found waits of more than 30 minutes unacceptable.
The survey polled 402 adults from the 1st to the 14th of this month, both online and offline, at eight branches nationwide of Ryohon, a Japanese restaurant chain operated by Honsin, and on Dongseonambuk's website.
Asked about introducing a "fast track" that would let customers pay a set fee to skip the line and enter first, as at amusement parks, 62% of respondents were in favor and 38% opposed.
Those in favor were asked the maximum fee they would pay, assuming two people visiting a pork belly restaurant. The most common answer was 3,000 won per table, at 45%, followed by 5,000 won at 37%, 7,000 won at 12%, 10,000 won at 5% and more than 10,000 won at 1%.
With 82% choosing 5,000 won or less, consumers appear to have in mind a price for skipping the line that is lower than the cost of a cup of coffee.
Such services have already appeared in Japan. SuiSui, a "time performance" fast-track service that lets customers pay extra to skip the queue and enter first, has been adopted by about 100 restaurants. Other paid priority-entry services are also in operation there.
An official at Honsin said the survey confirmed that the view of time as one's most valuable asset has taken firm hold in consumers' lives. "Restaurants need efficient operations that save customers time, along with food compelling enough to make the wait feel worthwhile," the official said.