McDonald's testing mobile app that places, pays for orders

McDonald’s has cooked up a mobile app that lets customers place orders and pay for their meals, bypassing the lines and cashiers.

The Oak Brook hamburger giant is testing its McD Ordering app (iOS and Android) at 22 locations in Columbus, Georgia, reports Business Insider.

The McD Ordering app links to a credit or debit card. Once the app is downloaded and registered, a customer can make menu selections for food and drinks and how things should be prepared. When the customer arrives at a participating McDonald’s, she scans a QR code inside the restaurant or at a curbside pickup station. Once the payment is made, the order is processed and an order number is displayed on the phone.

“It’s as easy as pick it, scan it, go,” the company says.

McDonald’s early this year expanded the test of its McD App, which let customers place orders via smartphone and be notified of food and drink deals. The company added the greater Sacramento area and northern Nevada after rolling out the app in the San Francisco area, Oregon, western and southwest Washington, the St. Louis metro area, New England, and Albany, NY.

Major fast-food chains are working on mobile apps to let customers order and pay ahead for meals. Starbucks has a huge, loyal user base for its payment app but the chain is still working out how let customers order ahead and avoid waiting in line.

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