Abstract: A customer queue control system for an establishment having a plurality of customer service stations utilizes a main queue and a plurality of local queues, and includes a detector to detect the presence of a customer at the head of the main queue, keys at each service station to signify the status of that station, a voice message device to direct a customer at the head of the main queue to a local queue selected to provide the probable minimum waiting time, and a data processing system for controlling the voice message device in accordance with the presence of a customer in the main queue, the number of customers in each local queue, the status of each local queue, and the probable service delay time per customer in each local queue.