From tacos, burritos, gordita, salads, nachos, chalupas, and other specialties, customers will be able to order their favorite Taco Bell items from their mobile devices before the end of 2014.
Taco Bell is doing a test run of a mobile app that will allow patrons to order with just a tap on the screen of their smartphones and it will allow the fast food staff to know when the food will be ready to be picked up. The mobile application will make use of GPS technology to alert the Taco Bell kitchen staff that they need to prepare the items when the customer is nearby and be done just in time to serve the food hot when the consumer steps into the store.
Customers who order via the mobile app will have the option to pick the food up in-store or via drive thru when they arrive at Taco Bell. They can also avoid long lines since the food chain will have a dedicated window for mobile orders.
The popular fast food chain aims to boost its sales by putting the mobile app into the hands of Millennials who have technology at the center of their lives.
"Mobile is the biggest shift in QSR since the drive thru. If you can get 10 million people to download your app, you're putting a portal to Taco Bell in 10 million pockets," said Taco Bell mobile lead Jeff Jenkins.
The company has been developing the app for more than 24 months. The current phase of development involves beta testers who will point out any possible flaws of the system.
"It's built on the moment of now," Jenkins described the app.
The mobile app starts with the Taco Bell menu and leads the user to the nearest branch so local pricing details, hours of operation, and directions will appear. The system will also be intuitive enough to give suggestions on desserts, drinks, and other items that will match the preferences of customers. Likewise, users can save their favorite orders for future use.
Customers can pay using their credit cards or load gift cards and the order will go directly to the system of Taco Bell, which will line up the order, indicating that it is a mobile order.
The biggest brands in the food and beverage industry such as McDonalds, Starbucks, Chipotle, among others have also been investing and experimenting on how they can make most of mobile ordering system.
