Bad Bumping Behavior: How Staff Manipulate Ticket Times and What It Means for Your Business

When we created Curbit, we knew that accurate bumping by kitchen staff was important, but we had no idea just how important it really was to restaurant data systems.  Accurate ticket times are crucial for maintaining efficiency, customer satisfaction, and delivery reliability. However, some staff engage in “bad bumping behavior”—manipulating kitchen display system (KDS) timestamps to artificially improve or delay order metrics. This includes tactics like pre-bumping, long bumping, and mass bumping, which create misleading data that can hurt restaurant performance in the long run.

What is Bad Bumping Behavior?

1. Pre-Bumping: Orders are marked as completed before they’re actually ready, making it seem like the kitchen is operating faster than it really is.
2. Long Bumping: Staff leave orders on the screen far longer than necessary before clearing them, inflating average ticket times.
3. Mass Bumping: Orders are left to accumulate and then all cleared at once, making it impossible to track real-time kitchen efficiency.

These actions distort operational data, mislead management, and create ripple effects that impact both staff and customers.

When and Where Does This Happen?

Peak Offenders: When It’s Most Likely to Happen

• Busy Rushes (Lunch & Dinner Peaks, 11 AM - 2 PM & 5 PM - 8 PM)
• Staff may pre-bump orders to keep up with demand, artificially improving kitchen speed.
• Slow Periods (Mid-Afternoon & Late Night, 2 PM - 5 PM & After 9 PM)
• Long bumping and mass bumping often occur when staff have downtime and delay clearing orders to avoid looking unproductive.

Where This Happens: High-Risk Store Locations

• High-Volume Stores: Locations with constant order flow may use pre-bumping to avoid backlog.
• Franchise Locations: Some stores may prioritize hitting corporate-mandated speed goals over accuracy.
• Understaffed Kitchens: If a kitchen is struggling to keep up, staff may manipulate bumping to cover inefficiencies.

Why This is a Problem for Your Business

1. False Ticket Times Lead to Bad Decisions

If management relies on manipulated ticket data, they may make incorrect staffing or operational decisions, assuming their kitchen is more efficient than it actually is.

2. Customer Experience is Compromised

• Pre-bumped orders mean drivers arrive before food is ready, leading to longer wait times and cold food.
• Long-bumped orders make it look like orders are delayed when they’re actually ready, leading to unnecessary complaints.

3. Performance Metrics Are Skewed

Brands use ticket time data to evaluate efficiency and service quality. If these numbers are artificially inflated or deflated, corporate leadership may not see the real issues affecting operations.

4. Staff Accountability and Culture Erode

When bad bumping behaviors go unchecked, it sets a precedent that cheating the system is acceptable, undermining accountability and trust among team members.

How to Fix Bad Bumping Behavior

1. Implement Smart Capacity Management

Solutions like Curbit dynamically manage order flow to prevent rush-hour pre-bumping and ensure accurate ticket times.

2. Monitor Anomalies in Ticket Data

Look for stores where ticket times suddenly improve or worsen dramatically—this can be a sign of bump manipulation.

3. Train Staff on the Importance of Honest Ticket Times

Educate kitchen teams about how manipulating bump behavior creates operational inefficiencies and negatively affects customers.

4. Use Automated Bump Auditing

Tools that track bump patterns and anomalies can identify when staff engage in suspicious activity and flag trends for correction.

5. Hold Teams Accountable

Ensure that store managers track and address excessive pre-bumping, long bumping, or mass bumping to maintain accuracy.

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Bad bumping behavior distorts reality—giving the illusion of efficiency while actually causing operational chaos. By identifying when and where these manipulations occur and implementing smart solutions like Curbit’s real-time capacity management tools, restaurants can maintain authentic ticket times, improve customer satisfaction, and ensure accurate operational data.

Accurate data drives better decisions, smoother workflows, and happier customers—so don’t let bad bumping behavior throw your restaurant off course.  Reach out to us for help with your kitchen data.