For bars, tap-rooms, cocktail bars
Bar waitlist app without the chalkboard.
Free QR code table queue for bars. Customers scan, add their name and party size, grab a drink. You see the live queue. Call them up when a table opens.
QR code self check-in
Stick the QR on the door or hostess stand. Customers scan and queue up from their phones.
Party size capture
Required field on signup — match parties to tables without asking every group.
Phone number optional
Text customers when their table's ready. We don't auto-send — you keep control.
No app for customers
Everything runs in the phone browser. No install friction at the door.
Live queue for staff
Any device with the admin URL can see the queue — bartender, hostess, manager.
Free forever
No tier, no trial, no credit card. Runs on ads on marketing pages, never on signup.
Every bar with more demand than seats faces the same Friday-night friction: people standing three deep at the door asking "how long's the wait?", regulars cutting ahead, and a chalkboard nobody can read in the low light. The List is a free bar waitlist app that replaces all of that with a QR code on the door. Customers scan, type their name + party size, and get a position. You see the live queue. You call them when a table opens.
It's built for bars that don't want a full reservation system — tap rooms, cocktail bars, brewery taprooms, pubs with a kitchen, gastropubs at peak. If you take a booking you already have OpenTable; the waitlist gap is for walk-ins, and that's where this slots in. No fiddly staff accounts, no SMS credits to top up, no monthly bill.
Customers don't have to stand near the door either. They can queue virtually, go for a smoke, pop next door to a different bar, or sit outside — and come back when their number's up. That's the actual point of a virtual queue: it unblocks the doorway and takes the pressure off your hostess.
Free forever for bar staff. The only money we make is non-intrusive ads on marketing pages like this one — never on the customer signup screen. UK GDPR-friendly by default: phone numbers and names auto-delete 48 hours after the last activity.
A Friday night at a busy cocktail bar
Typical run-of-show
- 1QR on the door + a card by the hostess stand.
- 2Customers scan, type name + party size, optional phone.
- 3They see their queue position — can go grab a walk or wait outside.
- 4Staff see the live queue on a tablet behind the bar.
- 5When a table opens, tap the top name to remove them + wave them in.
Why bars need a virtual queue (and restaurants are different)
Restaurants with reservations have SevenRooms, OpenTable, Resy. Bars usually don't — you can't really book a seat at a bar, and even gastropubs run walk-in lists for their bar area alongside their booking system. The List fills that specific gap: walk-in only, no reservation, just fair order.
Party size matters more than reservation time in this context. A four-top opens — you need the next party of four, not the next two-top that happens to be first in line. The List shows party size next to every name so your hostess can match parties to tables in one glance.
If you do need full reservation management, use Resy or OpenTable — we happily point you there. If you need a waitlist on top of that, or you run walk-in-only, this does exactly that and nothing else.
Running it behind the bar
Simplest setup: one tablet behind the bar showing the admin dashboard, polling every 5 seconds. Bartender or hostess keeps an eye on it between pouring.
Fancier setup: a projector or screen showing the public URL (the "Up next" view) pointed at the waiting area. Customers see the list. Nobody asks.
Printed-card setup: print a couple of A5 cards with the QR (use our free QR generator) and laminate them. One on the door, one on the bar. Done.
Questions hosts ask
How is this different from Yelp Waitlist or OpenTable Waitlist?+
Those come bundled with a full reservation system and cost money (often a significant monthly fee). The List is a free standalone waitlist for bars that don't need reservations — walk-in only, no booking, no monthly bill. If you already use OpenTable, keep it; if you just need a queue, this is lighter and costs nothing.
Can I text customers when their table is ready?+
Yes, but from your own phone, not automated. Phone numbers are captured at signup and shown on your admin dashboard. Tap the phone icon (or use an iOS Shortcut) to send a pre-written "your table is ready" SMS. We don't run automated SMS in v1 because it'd mean per-message cost, which would break the free forever promise.
What about loyalty or repeat customers?+
Not in scope for v1 — no customer database, no retention, no CRM. Names and numbers auto-delete 48 hours after the night ends. If you want loyalty, integrate with a dedicated system (e.g. Toast, Square Loyalty). This is just the waitlist.
Can I see wait times or projected table turns?+
Not in v1 either. We show queue position and party size; projection requires knowing your table turn rate, which varies by night. If that matters, try Waitwhile or TablesReady — they do projections properly. We kept v1 focused on the "fair order" problem.
Is the data kept?+
No. Names and phone numbers auto-delete 48 hours after the queue's last activity. UK GDPR-friendly by default. Never emailed, never sold.
Does this work on a weekly bar trivia or bar quiz night?+
Use a Series. One stable QR you print once. Every Thursday, tap 'Start tonight's queue' and the existing QR routes to this week's event. No reprinting.
Ready in 10 seconds.
Tap the button. Share the QR. That's it.
Running something else?