What is Line Busting?

Line busting is a restaurant service technique to help reduce wait lines by taking orders before customers reach the cash register or ordering window. Rather than wait for customers to show up at the register, staff members work the line with handheld POS systems and tablets, gathering orders and credit card info on the spot. This can accelerate delivery during busy moments and is much less likely to cause backups.

Line busting is a strategy often used by quick-service restaurants and fast-casual chains, and it's emerging as a popular tactic at other high-volume food establishments, especially during peak times such as lunch and dinner rush.

Why Line Busting is Important for Restaurant Efficiency?

Line busting contributes to operational cost efficiency associated with shorter customer wait times and the ability to serve more customers within the same time during a restaurant's busy hours. Long lines could deter people from ordering, particularly in high-traffic areas. By issuing orders a bit earlier in the line, the restaurants are able to move thousands of hungry people through the line faster and make it a more fluid process. Mobile POS systems are also important for line busting.