Introduction According to the paper “The Psychology of Waiting” by David Maister (1985) “The more valuable the Service, the longer the customer will wait”. This also translates to the less valuable the service is, the less people are willing to wait for it. As stated by Meriam Webster dictionary, “fast food is any food that can be prepared quickly and easily and is sold in restaurants and snack bars as a quick meal or to be taken out.” Fast food services in theory are the least valuable services that could be offered in the food industry, that’s why they should have the least waiting time possible. However, on the ground that it’s convenient and cheap, the demand for it is high, and more often there’s a long line at every fast food outlet. …show more content…
All three chains followed similar theories to come up with different solutions. Dual point ordering system: The first theory states that people feel like the wait time is shorter when they start with the purchasing process (Maister, 1985). Even if the wait time doesn't change as long as the costumer started the purchasing process, they mentally feel like the time it takes to receive the product is shorter than having to wait and then receive the product immediately. The main reason is because the longer the wait, the more will the costumer feel like they are being forgotten or neglected, thus, the higher the anxiety emotions will be. McDonald’s have implemented this theory in the most detailed and useful solution of all chains because, As stated by one blog (Ramkumar, 2013) the chain first adopted the dual point ordering system in all of their locations. Dual point ordering system separates the pick up counter from the ordering counter. That way costumers don't have to wait long to purchase their orders. Second, managers started adding electronic ordering counters for simpler orders in addition to regular cashiers in some of their locations. Third, they added screens that show whether order numbers are being prepared, still waiting, or are finished. That way consumers can …show more content…
With the advancement of technology and mobile applications, the adoption of a mobile application to order food and drinks and picking them up in store seems like the ideal solution to reduce waiting time for consumers. This way people whom are working in offices or students in class don’t have to waste time and be late to get their orders. The first chain to create the application and implement it is Starbucks, followed by Tim Hortons and