The Real Cost of Understaffing Your Attractions

For guests, the impact is immediate and demoralizing. Long waits under the sun or in crowded indoor queues lead to overheated tempers, unmet expectations, and reduced time to enjoy the rest of the park. A family who waits 45 minutes for a ride, only to see half the seats go empty, won’t chalk it up to logistics. Instead, they’ll remember the inefficiency and leave with a negative impression. And when the same experience repeats at food stands, restrooms, and merchandise locations, the day begins to feel like a long, frustrating shuffle from one line to the next.

The understaffing issue extends beyond attractions. At food stands, delays are often caused not by high volume, but by slow-moving operations. With only one staff member on register and one on fulfillment, even basic snack service can grind to a halt. Many parks report 30 to 40-minute waits for basic food and beverage items—a far cry from the fast-paced convenience today’s guests expect.

There are clear solutions—many of them already in use in other industries.

Chick-fil-A has long been known for its ability to handle massive drive-thru volumes with grace and speed. Their secret? Smart staffing and proactive service. Instead of waiting for guests to reach the speaker box, employees with tablets take orders directly from vehicles in advance, allowing multiple points of contact and faster fulfillment. Additionally, runners bring food directly to cars, eliminating bottlenecks.

Raising Cane’s offers another model of operational efficiency. Their intentionally simple menu allows staff to focus on execution rather than managing complex customizations. Fewer SKUs and clear workflows mean faster kitchen throughput, shorter wait times, and more consistent product delivery.

In the theme park environment, these lessons are directly applicable. Designating queue hosts to organize loading platforms and seat guests efficiently can significantly increase capacity. Cross-training staff to float between positions—especially in food and ride operations—adds flexibility where it’s needed most. When staff can switch roles as needed, parks can respond to shifting guest flows in real time.

Other industries offer additional insight. At airports, TSA PreCheck lanes reduce bottlenecks by streamlining the screening process for pre-verified guests. Some theme parks have experimented with similar express lanes for food service or rides, offering incentive-based upgrades or loyalty program perks to better distribute crowds.

Retail chains like Apple and Best Buy have deployed mobile checkout and roving staff equipped with tablets to reduce congestion at cash wraps. Parks can mirror this by introducing mobile ordering zones, self-service kiosks, or mobile cashiers during peak times.

Some forward-thinking parks are already moving in this direction. Mobile ordering apps, ride reservation systems, and simplified menus are being used to improve speed and accuracy. But tools alone aren’t enough. Execution—driven by staffing levels, training, and leadership—is what makes the difference between a smoothly run park and one bogged down by inefficiencies.

The bottom line is that guests don’t judge a park only by its rides or entertainment. They judge the experience as a whole: how long they waited, how many attractions they actually got to experience, how easy it was to find food, and how well the staff seemed to manage the day. Together, these moments can make or break the guest experience. And a broken guest experience is the real cost of understaffing attractions.

How ITPS Can Help

With decades of operational expertise, ITPS works with parks around the globe to solve exactly these kinds of challenges. From staffing models and queue design to food service efficiency and on-site training, ITPS offers customized solutions that improve capacity, reduce guest friction, and increase overall satisfaction.

ITPS can help evaluate existing operations, identify pinch points, and implement proven strategies that work—not just on paper, but in the real-world conditions of a busy park day.

Because when guests come for fun, they expect to spend their day enjoying attractions—not standing still. And making that happen takes planning, people, and partners who know that fun is a serious business.