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WKU Helps Restaurants Offer Information in High-Tech Fashion

A group of WKU graduates has launched a smart phone application for restaurant patrons, and Bowling Green is the debut city.  Eric Littleton is CEO of WhyWait, a mobile app for iPhone and Android users that lets customers know restaurant wait times, their happy hours, menus, and deals.

"The need came from driving around one night and bouncing around between restaurants.  So I had the idea that I needed to figure out how to get restaurants to broadcast their wait times, but in order to do that, you have to give them something in return.  In return, you give them a lot of people that can see their information and the things they're selling," said Littleton.

WhyWait is located in WKU's Center for Research and Development. Since launching a week ago, WhyWait has signed up more than two dozen restaurants in Bowling Green.  The company plans to expand soon to the Louisville and Lexington markets, and eventually, go national.  The app is free to download from the App Store or Android Market.

Lisa is a Scottsville native and WKU alum. She has worked in radio as a news reporter and anchor for 18 years. Prior to joining WKU Public Radio, she most recently worked at WHAS in Louisville and WLAC in Nashville. She has received numerous awards from the Associated Press, including Best Reporter in Kentucky. Many of her stories have been heard on NPR.