Hai Di Lao Malaysia is going viral as the country’s new food attraction. Malaysians are actually lining up for 2-3 hours just to experience dining in this popular Chinese hot pot restaurant.
Why are People Willing to Wait 2-3 Hours Just to Eat at Hai Di Lao Malaysia
Hai Di Lao is a hot pot restaurant that first started out in the Sichuan Region of China.
Over the years, it has slowly turned into the mega-franchise that it is today. With over 300 branches nationwide (Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo and even Los Angeles), it’s safe to say that everyone’s excited with Hai Di Lao’s coming to Malaysia.
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So, yes. It’s a famous, world-renown restaurant that everyone’s been anticipating. Everyone also knows that new, hyped up restaurants have a tendency to get long lines and queues.
Although, they almost always die down through the days, months and even years. Even if the restaurant is using the infamous long lines marketing strategy.
This is a marketing ploy where customers are intentionally made to wait for hours because it attracts even more customers. If the line is that long, if there are that many people, then the food must be good, right?
The Hai Di Lao Queuing System
What’s it like queuing in Hai Di Lao?
There are tons of stories online telling us how it’s like to wait in line for hours, just to get a taste of Hai Di Lao’s hot pot and personalized services.
There are currently 4 Hai Di Lao outlets in Malaysia. The first branch opened in March at Sunway Pyramid, the second following quick in Pavilion Elite (Pavilion KL).
Third and fourth branches are soon to open sometime around 2019 in Gurney Paragon Mall, Utama Shopping Centre and IOI City Mall.
Despite there being more than 1 Hai Di Lao outlet in Malaysia, some seem to favor the Pavilion KL for its good location and amazing ambience.
Long Lines, Even Longer Reservations at Hai Di Lao Malaysia
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If you wanted to try Hai Di Lao, you’d go to the outlet and you’d see extremely long lines. The first thing you’d probably think is to “book a reservation” instead.
That’s what the others tried. But booking a reservation is almost impossible, as reservations could only be made on the first day of every month.
So, if you wanted to book a table reservation at Hai Di Lao Malaysia, you’d have to book 1 month ahead. Easy, right? Well, not really convenient.
The only choice left for the curious is to line up physically. But the queue numbers could already have been given out for the day.
Queue System at Hai Di Lao Malaysia
The queue numbers are given out 3 times a day:
- 10 am – for Lunch
- 2 pm – for Dinner
- 6pm – for Supper
The Hai Di Lao branches are open 10 am to 3 am everyday, but people already line up around half-an hour to get their numbers.
Worst Case Scenario: you could line up to get a queue number for lunch, but end up getting one for supper. And even then, there are still a lot of people ahead of you for the supper meals.
One person even experienced being 44th in a long line for supper.
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QR Codes
The good thing about this is that you don’t have to wait for your number to be called. You can simply scan your number which has a QR Code, and it’ll tell you your queue status.
Servers at Hai Di Lao advise customers to return when they are already 10th or so in line.
How to Beat the 2-3 hour-long Queue at Hai Di Lao Malaysia
When it’s finally your turn, everything is smooth-sailing at that point. You’ll get to order virtually through an iPad.
You can even get other freebies like hot towels, hair ties and lens cleaners for your glasses (in case of any soup spills or splashes). The staff are also very attentive to the customer’s needs.
But if you really want to beat the 2-3 plus hours-long queue at Hai Di Lao Malaysia, you can now line up online by simply scanning a QR Code.
- Yes, gone are the days of having to arrive extra-early (they say “before 5pm”).
- Of having to visit only during off-peak hours.
- Gone also are the days of having to call the branch first to get a heads-up on the queuing situation.
- You also don’t need to get a Hai Di Lao membership (though it does have its perks).
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Beat the Hour Long Hai Di Lao Malaysia Queue
1. Scan the QR Code
For Hai Di Lao outlets at Sunway Pyramid and Pavilion KL (Elite), you can book a table online by scanning the QR code for each outlet.
Good News: You can now book in advance for other days!
2. Enter your Name, Phone Number and Party Size
Note that there are a limited number of tables for each time slot. If you get a message or notification that says the store is no longer accepting your online Hai Di Lao booking, then you’ll have to wait for the next time slot.
Online Queue Numbers are given out Daily on these Hours:
- 10:30 AM
- 2:00 PM
- 4:00 PM
- 6:00 PM
- 10:00 PM
3. If your Booking is Successful, Wait and Refresh the Lineup Page
This new queuing system still can’t notify customers what time their number may get called. We advise that they constantly refresh the lineup page to check if your number is already up.
Remember!
- You can only get one queue number for each mobile number
- You only have 30 minutes to get back to the restaurant once your queue number is up otherwise the number will be invalid
- The line-up page will inform you of your current queuing status after you have successfully received your queue number
- Show the line-up page to Haidilao’s staff before you’re seated (Screenshot images and shared links are not accepted)
Now you’re ready to eat at Hai Di Lao hassle-free!
