Tire shop waitlist and walk-in queue app
The flat tire and the four-tire install should not fight over the same bay.
NextUp Walk-in gives a tire shop one live line for flats, rotations, balances and installs. Customers join from their phone, pick the job, and see an honest wait based on what is ahead of them. Your techs call the next vehicle from a tablet while the lobby TV shows the order.
- No app for customers
- Flats and installs counted separately
- Signed OK before the lug nuts
Summit Auto Service
72°H 78°L 61°3:41PM
Now Calling
Dana R.
MMikeis ready for you
Up Next
- 1Tom B.
- 2Faye L.~20 min
First nameFayeMobile (Optional)(555) 555-0123Who would you like?AnyoneMikeJoin the line
YOU'RE IN LINE#3FayeAbout 20 min. Watch the TV for your name.
L
Walk to Luis
Bay 9, on the right
About 15 seconds
Not where you are?
YouL
YouYour routeBay 9
This page updates live. Feel free to step out.
In line as Faye L. Leave the lineFaye L.
You're up!Mike is ready for you.Head to the front now.Running late?Let Summit Auto Service know when you'll be there.On my way, 2 min5 min10 minSorry, I can't make it
What the tire counter deals with on a changeover Saturday
Where the time goes today, before anything changes.
A flat is urgent and a set of four is long
The man with a nail in his tire needs ten minutes and a patch. The woman behind him wants four new tires mounted and balanced. If both are called "next", one of them leaves unhappy.
Everyone wants to be first when the first cold snap hits
The first week of snow tires and the first weekend of summer tires put a lot of cars in your lot at the same time. A paper list on a clipboard turns into a shouting match at 8:15, and the people at the back of it start doing their own arithmetic about whether they will be seen before noon.
Quote, then wait, then service
People walk in asking what four tires cost, then decide whether they will wait or come back. That quote conversation ties up the counter while the bay sits idle, and the customer who just wanted a price on a tire size has no place in line at all if they decide to stay.
Waiting versus dropping off is never written down
Some customers sit in the lobby with a magazine, others leave the keys and walk away. When nobody tracks which is which, you call the wrong person back and lose twenty minutes.
The old tire argument
A customer says the tech damaged a rim. A tech says it was already scratched. Without a record from before the wheel came off, you are guessing.
How NextUp Walk-in helps
What changes once the line lives on a phone, not on paper.
1
Flats and installs, counted honestly
Customers pick the job at check-in, and with the location set to estimate from chosen services, the wait adds up each one separately. A patch counts for a patch, and four tires count for four tires.
2
The order stops being a debate
The line is on the TV and on every phone. When the snow starts, the order is the order, and nobody has to defend it at the door.
3
Drop-off or wait, written down
Ask on the join form whether they are waiting or leaving the car, and the Staff Screen shows the answer beside their name.
Built for tire shops
The parts of NextUp Walk-in tire shops use most. Open one for the pictures.
- Calendar and online booking
Pro Customers book a time from your Check-in Page. - No-show protection
Pro Ask for a card on file or a deposit when someone books. - Loyalty
Pro A digital stamp card in your colors, font and logo, with a reward you choose. - Reviews and feedback
Every plan After a visit, clients leave a private rating and a comment. - Insights
Basic on every plan · Full on paid plans Walk-ins, waits, revenue and busy hours, compared with the period before. - Google and Instagram
Every plan The Get Found Online page gives you the link, the QR code and the steps to add your line to Instagram, Google, Apple Maps and Yelp.
How NextUp Walk-in runs the counter, the bays and the rush
Every feature here is in NextUp Walk-in today, except text alerts, which switch on soon. The ones marked Pro come with NextUp Walk-in Pro; the rest are on every paid plan. Compare plans.
The line
Every plan
- Scan the sign or join from Google. Customers join from the lot with a QR code or from your Google profile before they leave home. No app, and a name is enough.
- Pick the job at check-in. Flat repair, tire rotation, new tire install, balancing, seasonal swap and more from the auto starter menu, all editable. Each service counts for its own time in the wait.
- Ask what you need to know: up to five questions on the join form, such as year, make and model, tire size, plate and whether they are waiting or dropping off.
- Phone-ins and walk-ups are added from the counter tablet, so every customer is in one line.
- The right tech for the job. Mark which techs run the tire machine or handle larger wheels, and customers who pick that service are routed to them.
- Cap the line on rush days. The line stops taking new vehicles a set time before close, and you can cap how many are accepted so the first cold morning does not run past dark.
The waiting room and the lot
- The lobby TV shows who is in the bay, who is next, the current wait and a QR code to join. An ordinary TV with an HDMI port and a small streaming device. The TV shows a short code that you enter in your dashboard once, and after that it shows your line on its own.
- The counter tablet in kiosk mode for customers who walk in asking about a flat. It never keeps one customer’s details for the next.
- "Still coming?" is one tap on the Staff Screen when you have called a customer who has not come up. Their phone asks "Are you still coming?" and the answer shows on their row, so a set of four does not sit on the rack waiting for someone at lunch.
- Wait in the car, wait in the lobby, or wait at the coffee shop. Their place lives in a browser tab on their phone.
- Seven customer languages (English plus six, machine-drafted) on the check-in page, the door tablet and the spot-in-line page.
- Staff see the answer to "Waiting or dropping off?" beside each name, so the tech knows whether to look in the lobby or reach out when the set is done.
- The Staff Screen shows the whole lot at a glance: who is in the bay, who is next, who has been called and has not come up yet, and what each customer asked for, in one view on a tablet by the tire machine.
The OK, the estimate and the record
- A repair authorization signed on the phone before the customer joins, filed on their profile with time and IP address.
- Job tickets with stages from checked in to ready and picked up, so "is my truck done?" has an answer on the status page.
- An estimate the customer approves line by line. Tires, mounting, balancing and disposal as separate lines with quantities and prices, approved or declined from the lobby or the parking lot. Approved lines go on the bill in one tap.
- A multi-point inspection with photos covering tires, brakes and more, rated green, yellow or red, so a worn tire is shown to the customer before they decide.
- Photos at drop-off (Pro). Up to 3 photos and a note per visit once the driver says OK to a photo, so a scratched rim is on file before the wheel is off.
- A pay link or QR so customers pay from their phone, or take cash, a saved card or a Stripe card reader at the counter.
- Seasonal rebooking emails go a set number of days after a visit to customers who ticked "Stay in the loop", so the spring changeover starts with people who already know your line.
Prices, parts and the customer’s own page
- Your tire jobs as canned jobs. Save a seasonal swap, a four-tire mount and balance or a flat repair at your labor rates, and the estimate lines price themselves from your numbers. A price you change keeps your reason.
- A parts catalog with stock and reorder points for valve stems, weights and the sizes you keep on the floor. A parts-to-order list groups what you need by vendor so you can copy it, print it or email it as a purchase order, then mark it ordered and received. It does not order from your supplier for you.
- Vehicle details typed in once: year, make, model, plate, VIN and mileage on the customer’s profile, with several vehicles per customer.
- Photos from the customer. Customers can send up to three photos when they join or book, if you switch that on for the location, so a picture of a sidewall is in front of you before they reach the counter.
- A status page for each vehicle showing the stage, the estimate, the inspection and its photos, and where to pick up. It shows that one vehicle only, and the link stops working 30 days after the last activity or when you reset it.
- Valve stems, weights and accessories as products with stock and low-stock alerts, added to the bill at checkout, with sales tax per location.
Example day: first cold Saturday with NextUp Walk-in
An example day, hour by hour, with the line on everyone's phone.
- 7:45
Eleven vehicles have already joined from the Google profile. Nobody has queued at the door.
- 8:15
A driver with a nail in his tire scans the sign, picks flat repair and signs the authorization. His quoted wait is short because a patch counts for a patch.
- 9:00
A customer picking four winter tires answers on the join form that she is dropping off. The Staff Screen shows it beside her name.
- 10:30
The tech photographs a worn sidewall on the inspection and sends an estimate. The customer approves the mounting and balancing and declines the valve stems, from the lobby.
- 11:20
The TV shows the next three names. A driver who stepped out for lunch has been called and has not come up, so the tech taps "Still coming?" and the answer, "20 minutes", shows on his row.
- 1:00
A photo at drop-off (Pro) shows a curb scrape on a rim before the wheel comes off.
- 2:30
A customer asks for a quote on a set of four. Staff add her to the line from the counter tablet so she keeps her place while she thinks.
- 4:00
The line stops taking new vehicles before close, so the last install is not at 5:55.
- Next spring
A rebooking email goes to customers who ticked "Stay in the loop", ahead of the changeover.
See NextUp Walk-in set up for tire shops
Six screens, one system, always in sync — styled the way your customers and team will actually see it.
Why tire shops move off the paper list
- A paper list cannot tell a patch from a full set. The line uses each customer’s service to build the wait, so the person with a flat is not quoted the same time as someone who wants four tires.
- The rush becomes a line, not a crowd. The first snowy Saturday looks like a list on a TV instead of a pile of people at the counter.
- The quote conversation moves to the phone. Customers join the line first, then read the estimate on their own screen when the tech sends it.
- A record before the wheel comes off. A signed authorization and optional photos at drop-off settle the "who scratched the rim" argument.
- No customer app, no account. They scan, type a name and wait wherever they like.
More for this kind of business
Also built for
Comparing waitlist apps?
See comparisonSee how NextUp Walk-in compares with other booking apps: price per location, texts included, and who each app is actually built for.
Tire shops: common questions
What is a tire shop waitlist app?
It is software that keeps the line of waiting customers on a phone and a screen instead of a clipboard. Customers scan a sign, pick the job, and see their place and the wait live, while your techs call the next vehicle with a tap.
Is there a waitlist app for tire shops?
Yes. NextUp Walk-in has an auto starter menu with flat repair, rotation and tire jobs, a lobby TV, a counter tablet and a Staff Screen. Customers do not install anything.
How do I handle flat tires and scheduled installs in the same line?
Customers pick the job at check-in, and the wait counts each service for its own time. On the Pro plan, bookings sit beside the walk-in line, so a scheduled install and a flat walk-up share one screen.
Can I tell which customers are waiting and which are dropping off?
Yes. Add a question to the join form, such as "Waiting or dropping off?", and your techs see the answer beside the customer on the Staff Screen. You can ask up to five questions.
How do I manage the first cold weekend or the first snowfall?
Join from Google and the QR sign mean the line starts before you open. You can cap the line and stop taking new vehicles a set time before close, so the last customer is not told to wait past dark. Insights shows your busiest hours by weekday for next year.
Can customers get a tire quote and still keep their place?
Yes. Staff add the customer to the line from the counter tablet or the customer joins from a phone, and the estimate is sent from the job ticket once the tech looks at the vehicle. The customer approves or declines each line from their phone.
What do I need for a waiting-room TV at my tire shop?
An ordinary TV with an HDMI port and a small streaming device. The TV shows a short code that you enter in your dashboard once, and after that it shows your line on its own.
Do customers need to download an app?
No. They scan your sign or tap your link and join in their phone’s browser. A name is enough.
Can a customer leave the lobby and keep their place in line?
Yes. Their place lives on their phone, so they can step out for lunch or run an errand. If you call them and they have not come up, tap "Still coming?" on the Staff Screen: their phone asks "Are you still coming?" and the answer shows on their row.
Can I run walk-ins alongside appointments?
Yes, on the Pro plan. Online booking, deposits or a card on file sit beside the walk-in line, so scheduled installs and flat-tire walk-ins share one screen.
Can I show a customer a photo of a worn tire?
Yes. The job ticket has a multi-point inspection with tires, brakes and other items rated green, yellow or red, with a note and photos on any item. You choose what the customer sees on their status page.
Can customers check in from a QR code in the lot?
Yes. Print the QR sign for the lot, the door or the counter. Customers scan it, pick the job and join. They can also join from your Google profile before they leave home.
Can customers pay from their phone?
Yes. Send a pay link or show a QR code and they pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay or a card. You can also take cash or use a Stripe card reader at the counter.
Can I record scratches or damage before the work starts?
Yes. On the Pro plan, add up to 3 photos and a note to a visit once the customer says OK to a photo. On a job ticket, photos can also attach to inspection items and estimate lines.
Can I stop taking new vehicles when I cannot finish them before close?
Yes. The line stops accepting new vehicles a set time before closing, and you can cap how many it accepts on a rush day. That way nobody joins at 5:50 for a set of four that needs an hour.
How do I see how long tire jobs really take in my shop?
Insights shows each tech's median time per job, average wait, people who left the line and your busiest hours by weekday. After a few weeks of changeover traffic, you can see which jobs run long and which hours need an extra tech.
Can I keep my own tire prices and labor rates?
Yes. Set named labor rates and a parts markup, keep a parts catalog with stock and reorder points, and save a seasonal swap or a four-tire mount as a canned job. Estimate lines price themselves from your numbers. NextUp Walk-in does not ship a licensed labor guide or order tires from your supplier, so the hours and the prices are yours.
Get ahead of the first snowfall.
Set up your first location in about two minutes. Your line can be live before your next walk-in.