What the F*ck Is a Line Waiter?

ew York City has eight million people in it.

And sometimes it feels like a quarter of that population stands in line for Katz’s Deli any given day.

Curious how many blocks the line has to snake around for the hungry New Yorker to call it quits and go to Tompkins Square Bagels,

I spend my Saturday people-watching, which makes me wonder how much money my hour is worth.
At New York’s minimum wage, the average Joe’s hour is worth $17.

For a designated line-waiter, however, that same hour is worth $50, perhaps making a new luxury sector in the industry: paying others to wait for you.

It’s Saturday morning and the famous Katz’s Deli has a line hugging the corner. Those who aren’t standing in line, lean back to take a photo.

The iconic establishment has an international reputation, now sewn into the fabrics of the Lower East Side.

The line in the mornings is now just as famous.

86’d Me spoke to a handful of people waiting in line; some in the thick of waiting, others just starting his journey in the back.

Two were New Yorkers, three others were tourists. But none were paid to wait.

Standing in the queue of hot NYC spots, there may be paid line-sitters, or line-waiters.

The set-up is simple enough. These pay-per-line workers can be hired through apps like Taskrabbit, or through a dedicated company like Same Ole Line Dudes.

This is a growing economy, stimulating task-based New York workers while further separating those who can afford to buy back their time from those who have to spend it waiting.

But, maybe that’s too negative. No one wants to stand in line… right?

Gigi Principe, the 2nd assistant manager with Same Ole Line Dudes, came into the company in 2023. At that time, the business worked around pop-ups and sample sales to the tune of The Row, Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahnik. 

“It kept becoming a whole ‘when and where’ would be the next sale. It became a ‘who in your friend circle would like a job’ and we kept growing!” Principe told 86’d Me. 

The luxury product, however, may not be the pop-up itself, but the time waiting at the pop-up.

When time is money, an hour wait for latkes, a slice of pizza or sexy new shoes translates differently between New Yorkers who actually wait for it.

The same 60 minutes has a different price tag depending on the hour-to-money ratio. At those rates, an hour of someone’s time can be valued as if they earn a six figure salary. 

In recent years, Same Ole Line Dudes has grown as a business, expanding to restaurants, shows and even court trials.

Restaurants that see the most demand are, unsurprisingly, trendy for those-in-the-know; such as Lucali in Brooklyn and Emilio’s Ballato in Manhattan.

Those who want to go out without the hassle of waiting can simply reach out to their trusty line-sitter and scoop in to grab a table after the wait. Those who want to get paid to read their book, all the same.

But, this ecosystem’s price tag comes with caveats: not all lines are created equal.  

According to Same Ole Line Dudes’ pricing, waiting for a restaurant line is $55 per hour for four people. Pop-ups have a $65 minimum for up to two and a half hours.

Court cases vary depending on the notoriety of the event. It’s a business like any other; a masterclass in understanding what’s hot on the market and what a New Yorker’s hour is really worth. 

I asked Principe about the usual clientele of Same Ole Line Dudes and the staff on the other side of the coin.

Katz’s Deli, the delicious tourist trap, may be less popular for line-sitters as they work in a more local-only setting.

Similarly, the ones who take on the task are New Yorkers all-the-same, which reveals itself as a self-sustaining industry in a city of transplants and tourists. 

People are still spending their off-days in lines for a new pop-up, exclusive restaurant or something else TikTok radicalized.

I always thought that waiting in line was an equalizer.

At the DMV or TSA (or anywhere that requires two forms of identification), the queue stamps their feet at the same frustration– whether you wear a Rolex or a Casio.

The luxury of a concert, too, comes at the price of a line. Maybe that’s why, in the ratio of time-to-money, I’m down to wait.

Some things are worth the hour.