Guest pagers or a QR code waitlist?
Pagers (buzzers) are the classic way to let restaurant guests wait away from the host stand. A QR code waitlist does the same job with the phone guests already carry. Here is how they compare, and when pagers are still the better choice.
As of October 2026
| QR Wait | Guest pagers | |
|---|---|---|
| What guests need | Their own phone with a browser; no app | A pager handed out at the host stand |
| Up-front cost | None: the first 1000 tickets are free, then one-time packs | A set of pagers, a charging base and a transmitter, bought or rented |
| Range | Anywhere the phone has a connection; an optional location check keeps joins on site | Within the transmitter's radio range |
| How many can wait | As many groups as you allow, with an optional cap | One group per pager |
| What guests see | Their place and an estimated wait, live | A light or vibration when it's their turn |
| Handing out and back | Nothing to hand out, collect, clean or charge | Pagers are collected, cleaned and charged between guests |
| Guests without a phone | The host adds them by hand and tells them their number | Same as everyone else |
| Without the internet | Needs mobile data or Wi-Fi on the guest's phone | Works without the internet |
When pagers fit better
- Many of your guests have no phone or no mobile data with them, such as tourists without roaming.
- Mobile coverage at the venue is unreliable.
- You already own a pager system that works and covers your space.
Using both
You can keep a few pagers for guests without a phone and put everyone else on the QR waitlist. The host adds pager guests to the same list by hand, so there is one order for everyone.
Questions
- Do guests need to download an app?
- No. The waitlist opens in the phone's browser after scanning the code.
- Can guests leave the restaurant while they wait?
- Yes, as long as their phone has a connection: the page and the notification reach them wherever they are. You decide whether joining requires being near the venue.
- What does it cost compared with pagers?
- There is nothing to buy up front. Each group that joins uses one ticket; the first 1000 are free and packs are paid once, with no subscription.
From the blog
Other comparisons
Try it before you decide
The demo runs in your browser in a minute; a free account comes with 1000 tickets.