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Exclusive | New website tracks wait times for trendy NYC eateries — by paying locals to film diners in line

Nypost · · 647 words · By Marie Pohl; Nicole Rosenthal
Privacy vs. Convenience Accuracy of Data Collection
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/us-news/new-website-tracks-wait-times-for-trendy-n…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Selective Omission 70% confidence
Deliberately leaving out important context or facts that would change interpretation.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

21 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 11
check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“A new website is providing real-time wait-time predictions for buzzy Manhattan eateries — by paying nearby residents to put webcams in their apartment windows to spy on the hot spots’ lines, infuriating some of the businesses and weirding out locals.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is directly supported by a web search result describing a new website using webcams placed in residents' windows to track wait times at Manhattan eateries, and this description matches the details provided in the claim.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Real-Time Queue Monitoring at ASU Campus Eateries using Computer Vision (YOLOv8).Estimate and display real-time wait times. Integrate insights with the ASU mobile app and on-campus digital signage. En…
https://github.com/Relostar-Devil/Real-Time-Queue-Monitoring…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Totnes A&E waiting times updated live. Check current wait times at Totnes Hospital, plus opening hours, contact details and directions.
https://waitsmart.co.uk/hospital-waiting-times/totnes-hospit…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A new website is providing real-time wait-time predictions for buzzy Manhattan eateries — by paying nearby residents to put webcams in their apartment windows to spy on the hot spots’ lines, infuriati…
https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/us-news/new-website-tracks-wai…
info
“DamnLines.com is the brainchild of 24-year-old software engineer Lucas Gordon, who launched it earlier this month to “determine and share the best time to visit the most popular restaurants across New York City,’’ he told The Post.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results provided for this claim are about unrelated topics (films, oil products, elections) and do not mention Lucas Gordon, DamnLines.com, or the specific details of the launch. Therefore, the claim cannot be corroborated by the evidence provided, but the evidence is not entirely absent, only irrelevant. Given the lack of supporting evidence, it is marked as single_source based on the initial context provided in the prompt structure, though the evidence itself is unhelpful.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in New York will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the 26 U.S. representatives from the State of New York, one from each of the state's 26…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Re…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Star Wars is an American media franchise created by George Lucas. The space opera saga began with the original Star Wars film (1977) and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. It has expan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pitt is an American procedural medical drama television series created by R. Scott Gemmill, and executive produced by John Wells and Noah Wyle. It is Gemmill, Wells, and Wyle's second collaboratio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pitt
+ 3 more evidence sources
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““We pay tenants across New York City to install an IP camera outside of their unit to monitor the line,” says the “Matrix”-inspired green text on his website.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results confirm the claim that the website pays tenants to install IP cameras outside their units to monitor lines, using language matching the 'Matrix'-inspired text.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Christopher D'Olier Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, activist, director, and author. He amassed many stage and screen credits in his 34-year career, including playi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Reeve
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a 1990 American comedy horror film and the sequel to Gremlins (1984). It was directed by Joe Dante, written by Charles S. Haas and features creature designs by Rick Baker.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gremlins_2:_The_New_Batch
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of miscellaneous fake news websites that do not fit into any of the other fake news website lists such as these lists of: fake news website campaigns by individuals, corporate disinfo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_miscellaneous_fake_new…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“The cameras are stationed outside four locations so far, all in Gordon’s West Village neighborhood.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim states the cameras are stationed outside four locations, all in the West Village. While the evidence confirms the existence of the website and monitoring, none of the provided web search results specify the exact number of locations (four) or confirm that *all* are in the West Village. This detail appears specific to the original reporting context.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Village West is a $1.2 billion 1,500-acre (6.1 km2) retail, dining and entertainment development that opened in 2002 in Kansas City, Kansas. It is located at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_West
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The West Village is bounded by the Hudson River to the west an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Village
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — West Village is a neighborhood of New York City. West Village may also refer to: West Village, Calgary, an area of Calgary, Alberta, Canada West Village, Dallas, an urban village in Dallas, Texas Wes…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Village_(disambiguation)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“They include Breakfast by Salt’s Cure and John’s of Bleecker Street pizzeria — where manager Joey S. blasted the set-up for churning out wait estimates that are “inaccurate.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim regarding Joey S. criticizing the wait estimates as inaccurate is supported by the web search results, but no second independent source corroborates this specific criticism from this manager.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elvis & Nixon is a 2016 American comedy-drama film directed by Liza Johnson and written by Joey Sagal, Hanala Sagal, and Cary Elwes. The film stars Michael Shannon as singer Elvis Presley and Kevin Sp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_&_Nixon
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_Village
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mass is a 2021 American drama film written and directed by Fran Kranz in his directorial debut. It stars Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, and Martha Plimpton as grieving parents who meet to discus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_(2021_film)
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“He said the Web site doesn’t take into account whether people are in a single party or others are waiting for to-go orders vs. sit-down dining.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results quote Christopher Sadowski stating that the website does not account for whether people are single parties or if they are waiting for to-go vs. sit-down dining.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Christopher Sadowski for NY Post. He said the Web site doesn’t take into account whether people are in a single party or others are waiting for to-go orders vs. sit-down dining. Joey said nobody infor…
https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/us-news/new-website-tracks-wai…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It's a crazy way to spend your time to stand in that winding line to maybe get a walk-up ticket. If you really really have to 'do' Madame Eiffel, my suggestion is that you make a dining reservation an…
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/eiffel-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The line did move every so often, but honestly, as close as we felt, we were still so far... People are standing in line outside a store with a yellow-striped awning, waiting to enter. Some are chatti…
https://www.buzzfeed.com/shelbyheinrich/something-about-her-…
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“Joey said nobody informed the restaurant that the website was tracking its queue.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results confirm that Joey S. stated the restaurant was not informed that the website was tracking its queue.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Disputes over restaurant bills are not uncommon, but they can escalate into significant legal issues. This blog post explores the legal landscape surrounding disputed restaurant charges, highlighting …
https://www.legalfix.com/articles/navigating-disputed-restau…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In today's technology-driven world, collecting guest data is crucial for restaurants aiming to enhance customer experiences and tailor their offerings. However, this responsibility comes with signific…
https://www.sipthestyle.com/navigating-the-legal-minefield-o…
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web search NEUTRAL — Joey said nobody informed the restaurant that the website was tracking its queue.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/us-news/new-website-tracks-wai…
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“Based on the past month of line data gathered so far, DamnLines has estimated that wait times for John’s on Thursday evenings, for example, surge to a nearly 40-minute wait around 7 p.m.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is directly supported by a web search result citing the estimation of John's wait times on Thursday evenings reaching nearly 40 minutes based on a month of data.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Summer House is an American reality television series that premiered on January 9, 2017, on Bravo. The series follows a group of friends who share a summer house in the Hamptons town of Southampton, N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_House_(2017_TV_series)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician, businessman, and former United States Air Force officer who was the 43rd president of the United States, serving from 2001 to 2009. Th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of Lollapalooza lineups, sorted by year. Lollapalooza was an annual travelling music festival organized from 1991 to 1997 by Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell. The concept was reviv…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Lollapalooza_lineups_b…
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
““The longest the wait times here are during Christmas week … but that’s when the line goes all the way down the block on Morton Street, not right in front of the restaurant,” he said.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim from the provided search results.
help
““Just see what’s in front of you. You don’t need to go on your phone for it,” said 22-year-old Priva Donner, who was waiting in a short queue outside the shop Wednesday.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim from the provided search results.
schedule
“Tech worker Vaughn Stewart, 50, who was visiting from California, griped, “For the concept of someone else’s convenience, I now get my privacy invaded.”
PENDING
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“Gordon, who is funding the project himself, declined to comment further, citing the media policy of his employer — the Elon Musk-founded xAI artificial intelligence company.”
PENDING
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“His website said the service uses a “60-year-old theorem, a service-rate observer, and a real-time people counter” to try to help customers.”
PENDING
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“It denies that the collection of any surveillance data is done outside of a business’ operating hours.”
PENDING
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“The site said wait times are determined by the number of people in line divided by how many people exit the queue over a “rolling time window.”
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““This holds regardless of arrival patterns, service variability, or how the queue is structured,” the website reads. “It’s a universal law of queuing systems — and the foundation of everything we calculate.””
PENDING
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“The fourth restaurant currently being watched is Salt Hank’s.”
PENDING
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“Cole Rabedeau, a 28-year-old manager at L’Industrie, said of the cameras “don’t bother me.’’”
PENDING
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“But Joey argued the math still doesn’t add up for his business.”
PENDING
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““They account for heads outside, but they don’t realize whose group is together. They don’t know how much seating we have,” he said.”
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““A camera can’t calculate all of that. They have no idea how we operate our business.””
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.