Popular restaurants in South Korea increasingly use entrance tablets or apps that let diners register a phone number and leave the physical line until their turn is called. Korea JoongAng Daily has also reported paid substitute queuers waiting outside restaurants and bars. In an on-site digital waitlist, arrival order is preserved as a number while customers remain nearby and wait for a notification.
Moving a queue onto a screen does not remove the feeling of wondering whether one’s turn is next. The body is released, while the position stays at the restaurant. People share the same line without having to stand in the same place.