How to set up a QR code queue system without an app
A virtual queue replaces the physical line with a number on the visitor's phone. Instead of standing in a row, people scan a QR code, take their place and wait wherever they like. When it's their turn, the page on their phone tells them. Because the queue opens in the phone's browser, there is nothing to install and no account to create.
This guide walks through setting one up from scratch, and the decisions worth making before the first busy day.
What you need
- A phone or tablet with a browser for the attendant
- A QR Wait account; the first 1000 tickets are free
- Optionally, a printed QR code for the door or the wall
No ticket machine, display screen or pager is involved.
1. Pick the queue mode that matches what you hand out
The right mode depends on what visitors are waiting for:
- Seats is for a pool of interchangeable places, such as sunbeds, bus seats or slots on a boat tour. You enter how many places opened up and the next groups are called.
- Tables is for restaurants. You enter the size of the table that freed up and the first waiting group that fits is called.
- Counters is for one line served by several desks. Each attendant taps "Call next" and the visitor learns which counter to go to when called.
Seats and tables can also be split into areas, such as inside and outside. Visitors pick every area they'd accept, and each area's queue moves on its own.
2. Decide where the QR code lives
You have two options. The attendant's screen can show a rotating code that changes every 15 to 75 seconds, with each code valid for 1 to 5 minutes. A screenshot shared in a group chat expires quickly, so people have to be there to join. You can also print a fixed code for a door or a wall, which is convenient when nobody stands at the entrance.
3. Keep the queue local
A virtual queue is only fair if people can't join from home. Turn on the location check so the phone has to be near the queue. The reference point can be a fixed spot on the map or the attendant's live location, which suits staff who walk around a beach or a venue.
4. Set the rules before the rush
A few settings save arguments later:
- Group size limit. One phone, one place, with an upper limit on how many people it covers.
- Time to arrive. Give called groups 3 to 30 minutes. If they don't show up, they're dropped automatically and the place goes to the next group.
- Hours and caps. Limit joins to opening hours, cap the number of waiting groups, or pause joins with one tap when you're full.
- Daily reset. The queue empties itself at closing time, so tomorrow starts clean.
5. Plan for people without a smartphone
Not everyone will scan a code. The attendant can add a visitor with one tap and tell them their number. They keep their place in the same queue as everyone else.
6. Tell visitors what to expect
A short sign next to the code does most of the work: "Scan to join. No app needed. Your phone will tell you when it's your turn." Once in the queue, visitors see their position and an estimated wait based on how fast the line has been moving, and they get a heads-up when they're two groups away.
7. Look at the numbers after the first week
Daily statistics show how many groups joined and were served, no-shows, the average wait and joins by hour. They contain counts only, no personal data, and can be exported as CSV. Busy hours tell you when to add staff; a high no-show count tells you to shorten the queue or the time to arrive.
Where to go from here
Each kind of venue has its own details. See how it works for a restaurant waitlist, beach and pool sunbeds, event entrances and service desks, or check the pricing: no subscription, and ticket packages never expire.