Google will show waiting times in search results for restaurants

Google will soon show in restaurant search results how long it usually takes to get a table without a reservation. The feature should also make its way to Google Maps.

The time that Google will show is an average and is based on anonymized data from users who have their location history turned on. Google has been indicating in search results for a number of years how busy a location or attraction is at a certain time. The information about waiting times at restaurants is integrated in the same graph. It is possible to see per hour how long it takes on average before a place is available.

Google will roll out the functionality globally and says it will be available to users soon. It is not clear when it is visible in the Benelux in search results. According to the blog post, the wait times are estimated at nearly a million restaurants worldwide. Ultimately, the information should also be visible in Google Maps when users click on a restaurant.