McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) is offering mobile ordering and pay service to customers in Monterey and Salinas, Calif., and Spokane, Wash.
The fast food chain said that its mobile ordering app is now available at 29 restaurants throughout Monterey and Salinas.
The company plans to expand the pilot mobile ordering and pay to an additional 51 restaurants in Spokane on March 20.
Customers can place their order in the mobile app. Then, they can go to any participating McDonald’s restaurant to check in, pay in the app, and pick up their food at the front counter, the drive-thru or at convenient curbside delivery.
The fast chain food said it will use geofencing technology for check-in to determine if customers are nearby. They will be able to pick up their order at any participating McDonald’s location.
If customers choose the drive-thru, they will simply read the already placed order code to the crew and their mobile order will be ready for pickup at the window, McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) said in a statement.
“We are proud to pilot mobile ordering and pay in the Monterey and Salinas area, and excited by the opportunity given to our local restaurant teams and customers,” Northern California owner/operator Steve Peat stated. “McDonald’s is empowering its customers to order when and how they want, and delivering a uniquely flexible experience at the speed and convenience we are known for.”
The fast food chain said the pilot will allow it to obtain valuable feedback from customers.
McDonald’s said that mobile order and pay will be launched in 20,000 restaurants in some of its largest markets, including the United States, by the end of 2017.
New McDonald’s Global Growth Plan
Earlier this month, McDonald’s unveiled a long-term global growth plan during the Investor Day event in downtown Chicago.
At the time, the company said it is accelerating digital capabilities and enhancing its use of technology in restaurants, in the drive-thru, and on the go.
“Inside the restaurants, McDonald’s is bringing greater control, convenience, and personalization to our customers through the use of kiosks to place orders, staffed with guest experience leaders to assist in the process. Customers can place their order and skip the front counter entirely, with their food brought right to their table,” the company said in a statement.
Talking about mobile order and pay, the company said the app will allow customers to personalize their order while skipping the drive-thru line and instead choosing curbside delivery.
“We have fundamentally changed the trajectory of our business over the past two years. Now, we are fit for purpose, ready to build on our momentum and transition to focus our efforts on profitable, long-term growth,” CEO Steve Easterbrook stated.
“We are building a better McDonald’s, one that makes delicious feel good moments easy for everyone, and I believe the moves we are making will reassert McDonald’s as the global leader in the informal eating out the category,” Easterbrook added.