Good news for McDonald's fans who find the outlet's food just isn't fast enough. The company has finally started testing mobile ordering at a number of stores in California and Washington, letting customers choose their food and drinks before arriving at a restaurant for instant pickup.
McDonald's is the latest in a line of company to introduce mobile ordering; places like Starbucks and Chipotle, along with many pizza franchises, having offered the service for some time - and it hasn't always worked perfectly.
"It's better to be right than to be first to market," said McDonald's Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook.
To use the system, simply place an order through the app, which is only available for iOS right now. When arriving at the restaurant, check in and pay using the application before picking up your food from the counter, drive-thru or curbside collection point. The app uses GPS to track your location, thereby (hopefully) ensuring the meal is freshly prepared for your arrival.
The chain started tested the mobile app at 29 restaurants in Monterey and Salinas, California, yesterday. It will expand to 51 more outlets in Spokane, Washington, on March 20. Jim Sappington, McDonald's executive vice president of operations, digital and technology, told Reuters that, assuming the system is a success, there are plans to roll out mobile ordering to all 14,000 U.S. restaurants and some 6,000 others in Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Australia, and China, by the end of this year.