Lines get a bad name, but they are one of the easiest places to talk to someone. You’re both stuck, you both want the same thing and the conversation has a built-in ending, so nobody feels trapped.
Comment on the wait
The wait is the one thing you definitely have in common. “Tell me this line is worth it.” “Is it always this slow, or are we just lucky?”
Ask for a tip
People like being asked what’s good. “Have you been here before? What should I get?” It’s an easy question, and it hands them the conversation.
Use what’s happening
A scream from the haunted house, a dog trying to join the line, someone ahead ordering for eleven people. Reacting to something you both just saw is the most natural opener there is.
Pick your moment
Headphones in, a phone call or a face buried in a book all say not now. Someone looking around, sighing at the wait or reading the menu board is far more likely to welcome a comment.
Long lines are the best lines
A forty-minute wait for a gig, a new restaurant or a ride gives you time for a real conversation, and everyone is bored enough to welcome one. How to Talk to Someone at a Concert makes the most of the wait outside a show.
Include their friends
If they’re waiting with friends, talk to the group, not just the person you noticed. Groups relax faster when nobody is left out.
Ask a small favor
Asking someone to keep your place for a moment, or whether this is the line for tickets, starts a tiny bit of trust. Thank them properly, and the conversation often carries on.
Keep it light and easy to leave
Lines are short by design. A friendly exchange and a laugh is a win, even if it goes no further. If you get one-word answers and they turn back to their phone, smile and let it go.
Mind people in a hurry
Someone checking the time every thirty seconds at five to nine has somewhere to be. Keep it to one friendly remark, or let them be.
When the line moves
If it’s going well, don’t let the line end it: “Want to grab a table together?” or “I’m Jamie, by the way.” If it isn’t, “Enjoy it” is a perfectly good goodbye. More openers are in How to Start a Conversation With a Stranger.
Lines to borrow
- At a food truck: “The smell from that truck is unfair. Have you had the tacos before?”
- When something happens: “Did that pigeon just steal a whole croissant?”
- At the post office: “I think this line has its own zip code.”
- When it’s moving slowly: “We’ve been here so long I think we’re officially friends now.”
- When your turn comes: “That’s me. Enjoy the tacos, and good luck with the menu decision.”
Practice it
The Coffee Line is free to play any time: a slow line, a good playlist and someone reading the pastry board very seriously. The Haunted House Line joins it every October, and The Table Wait, forty minutes at a busy restaurant bar, unlocks at Charmer.