This New Google Feature Lets You Search Restaurant Wait Times

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Imagine how much better your life would be if you could stay cozy under your blankets tracking restaurant wait times from your phone rather than standing outside in the bitter cold waiting for the dinner rush to die down. Well, Google is making this scenario a reality with a new search feature that shows you wait times for restaurants in your area.

TechCrunch reports that this feature is an expansion of Google’s already existing feature, which tells you different restaurants’ busy times. Now, diners can make even more informed decisions on where to eat. All you need to do is Google the restaurant and go to the “Popular Times” tab, and you’ll see a live view of how packed or empty the location is. It’ll also translate this information into a wait time.

Google collects this data from Google Maps to give mobile web users real-time updates. Grub Street reports that Googlers will be able to see average hourly crowd sizes under a restaurant’s listing and how long it’ll take to sit down. Users will be able to see these wait times for close to a million restaurants around the world. This new feature will be available for search first and then Google Maps.

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With all of this information at everyone’s fingertips, diners might end up choosing to hibernate in their homes during the colder months if they know they’ll have to wait more than 15 minutes for a table, which could negatively impact the restaurant business. There’s just something about the line-out-the-door visual that says, “Wow, this place is worth dining at” as much as, “Ugh, I wonder how long we’ll have to wait.” And without that first message, some restaurants might have a harder time luring diners into their locations.

Either way, thanks, Google. You’re going to save us many frozen, frustrated minutes of waiting around.