Google to display waiting time at restaurants on Maps, Search

Waiting for a table at a restaurant can be quite taxing, especially when the hunger pangs kick in. However, Google's latest update may be the solution to your problem.

The US-based tech giant is reportedly working on an update to its 'Search' and 'Maps' platform, which will display how long one has to wait to get a seat at a restaurant at any particular hour, for nearly a million sit-down restaurants around the world.

To access the feature, users can search for the restaurant on Google and open the business listing, where a 'Popular Times' section will be displayed with an estimated wait in real time. Users can also tap on any hour on the bar graph to see how long the wait will be for that period, reports The Verge.

Google says the estimates are based on "anonymised historical data," using which it calculates wait times for businesses like museums and grocery stores.

Google had previously introduced search cards in 2015 that show the busiest times for businesses and public places, which was also to bars last year.