The McDonald’s drive-thru has long enabled sheepish Big Mac munchers to avoid the indignity of waiting in line for their fast food fix.
Back in November we learned of another way that’ll ensure you don’t talk yourself out of the calorific eats prior to reaching the front of the queue: Mobile ordering.
Reuters reports the world’s most recognisable restaurant chain has begun testing mobile ordering for users of its iOS app in Washington and California ahead of a global roll out.
Related: Big Mac with a side of porn? Not on Ronald McDonald’s watch!
If the trials go well, the feature will roll out to all 14,000 of its US restaurants and 6,000 more in the UK and mainland Europe before the end of the year.
Despite an aggressive push into mobile with coupons and incentives for users, McDonald’s is relatively late to mobile ordering, compared to rivals like Starbucks and Domino’s Pizza.
However, the company reckons it’s far more important to get the experience right, rather than a botched launch driving customers away.
“We can’t impact the speed or the quality of our food,” said Jim Sappington, EVP digital and tech operations, told Reuters.
If app users have to wait or the food is cold by the time it reaches then customers will ask “‘Why did I use the app?’,” Sappington said. He said the “focus is to make the overall experience clearly better.”
This will also help the kitchen staff time the cooking to ensure it’s ready at just the right time.
The app will also allow customers to choose whether the food is brought to their table or whether they pick it up from the counter, drive-thru or outside the store.
Will this encourage you to frequent McDonald’s more often? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
