Expected service delays are determined from actual service data captured
during service at an establishment. For each party seeking service at an
establishment, the time at which the party seeks service and the time at
which the party receives, or at least begins receiving, service are
automatically captured, by sensors situated proximate to a cafeteria-style
service line or from a data processing system-implemented waiting list. A
subset of the collected data is selected utilizing defined criteria
relevant to service times, such as time of day, level of service as a
proportion to overall capacity, etc. An average service delay for parties
is then calculated from the selected subset of collected service data.
This average service delay is employed in determining an expected service
delay for prospective customers, adjusting the average service delay by
multiplication with a factor specified to correspond with relevant
characteristics of service at the establishment, such as time of day, size
of the party seeking service, etc. The projected service delay for a
prospective customer is then transmitted from the establishment's Web site
to the requester.
