Food trucks · 2026-10-20
How to make your food truck line feel shorter
Short answer: give people something to do while they wait. It has been known since 1985 that occupied time feels shorter than empty time, so a menu on the phone and a game while the order cooks make the same line feel shorter.
What the research says
David Maister, in "The Psychology of Waiting Lines" (1985), explains that unoccupied time feels longer than occupied time. His best-known example: a hotel got complaints about elevator waits; they put mirrors next to them and complaints dropped, even though the wait was the same. He also mentions handing menus to people who are waiting: it keeps them busy and they order faster.
5 ideas for your truck
- Put the menu QR along the line, not just on the window: let people read while they wait.
- A photo of every dish: customers decide before they reach the window.
- A short game on the menu for the food wait, with a weekly prize.
- WhatsApp orders for people who'd rather wait in their car.
- Say how long the order takes: Maister also explains that uncertain waits feel longer.