Pay a fee, skip the line: More Japan restaurants introduce fast-pass services

Fast-pass services that allow customers to receive priority entry for a fee are increasingly being adopted by restaurants in Japan, proving particularly popular among young people and tourists who want to skip waiting in line.

One fast-pass service for eateries is SuiSui, which has been adopted by 104 stores in 20 prefectures across Japan as of Sept. 18, and is mainly used by restaurants in central urban areas and tourist destinations where lines tend to form, according to its operator.

Users of the service can scan a QR code displayed outside each store with their smartphones and purchase tickets in advance to receive priority entry. Prices vary by store but generally range from ¥500 to ¥2,000, and change based on how crowded the stores are.

A branch of the Butayama ramen restaurant chain in an underground shopping street directly connected to Tokyo Station adopted the service in December 2023.

At the restaurant, waiting times can reach 30 minutes to an hour during lunch and dinner hours. The fast-pass service is used about six times per day on average during weekdays.

Yusuke Takenouchi, a 29-year-old company worker from Tokyo’s Taito Ward who used a ¥500 fast pass with a friend after work, said he did so to “make effective use of the time after dining.”

Takenouchi said that he likes the fact that he does not have to wait in line and that he has used the service more than 10 times. “I can’t get my time back, but I can make up for the ¥500 pretty quickly,” he said.

Fast-pass services are also being used at tourist destinations. Kyoto Kamosoba Den, a soba noodle restaurant in Kyoto, adopted SuiSui in June 2024, and the service has since been used mainly by tourists. With waiting times exceeding two hours on weekends and holidays, one couple paid ¥4,000 per person for priority entry.

“People seem to appreciate the service because it allows them to finish dining early and use the spare time to visit tourist spots,” said Hideyuki Shibata, 45, head of the restaurant’s operator.

Yutaka Suzuki, a researcher at the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan, which studies consumer behavior, said younger generations are using fast-pass services to eliminate waiting times, reflecting their strong preference for “time performance,” or making effective use of one’s time.

Suzuki said fast-pass services could spread to art museums and other facilities where visitors often face long waits, adding, “As fast pass services become better known, people other than the younger generation may also start using them.”