If you have plans to eat out this Valentine’s Day, a few restaurants around town are making long waits a little bit easier with an option to beat those restaurant crowds.

“Valentine’s Day is going to be insane,” says Katie Brewer, Brand Manager for Aspen Creek Grill.

With the help of an app called ‘NoWait,’ Chili’s and Aspen Creek Grill are trying to eliminate long wait times and make dining out a much more simple experience.

“It’s very beneficial. It helps guests not have to worry about waiting. It kind of puts them at ease and they just get to come relax and enjoy a good time,” Brewer says.

The app shows current restaurant wait times and allows you to join the waitlist, without having to leave your home. When your table is ready, you’ll get a notification.

“You just check in from there, show up to the restaurant, and don’t have to do much waiting. You come in and you’re already in line. Check in and let them know you’re here and you get seated before other people that just got there and are at the bottom of the list,” Brewer says.
 
The hosts even use the app to stay organized and seat people. 
 
“It’s a really good system for our host stand too, because it helps keep them organized and tracks the wait for them. It helps keep the list going and organized rather than having to get a piece of paper and answer the phones. The technology piece of it makes it really easy for us,” says Brewer. “Being able to get ready at home, check in from there, and then by the time you drive and get here, it’s maybe 10 or 15 minutes at the most then you’re good to go,” Brewer adds.
 
You may be wondering if this could be a useful resource for Valentine’s Day and even other holiday outings, and Brewer says yes.
 
“There’s going to be so many people that want to go out to eat and they’re not going to want to go to places that are going to have long waits,” she says.
 
The app is free and available through the app store.
 
“We’ve been pushing it and been explaining it to our guests as they arrive if they haven’t heard of it. We’re telling them about it, that way next time, they can come and don’t have to wait. It’s so much easier and they’re loving it. Yesterday I had a guest and we were on probably a 30 to 35 minute wait and a guest came in and said they only had to wait 5 minutes because they checked in from home. It was a really cool deal,” Brewer says.