X
Tech

Taco Bell's upcoming mobile app includes GPS locator for timely hot food

Restaurants are starting to bring advanced ordering functionality to your mobile phone and one of the latest companies expanding their testing is Taco Bell.
Written by Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer

I started ordering food from my smartphone with the Domino's app last year and this capability continues to expand to other restaurants. Nation's Restaurant News reports that Taco Bell is taking their efforts to the next level with expanded testing in California in the next few weeks.

My first thought was that it could be a rather dangerous practice if people try to order on their way to a restaurant while they are driving and that I rarely wait more than a couple minutes while ordering at Taco Bell. Taco Bell officials said their primary demographic is young Millenials and since many of these people have smartphones in hand getting more exposure to the restaurant should increase sales.

They report that two of five people use their smartphones to find a place to eat and that is something I do regularly. As long as people are using their phone to find and navigate to a restaurant it makes sense to expand that to ordering on the go.

I understand that Chipotle Mexican Grill has supported mobile ordering since 2009 and continues to improve that experience.

The Taco Bell mobile app looks to be full featured with the ability to easily order whatever you want, including customizations to their menu items, and decide when you are going to pick it up. The app uses the GPS receiver to recognize where you are and gives the kitchen a signal to start prepping it when you are near. Now that is the kind of functionality I expect from my smartphone and I am glad to see someone is turning it into a real personal assistant.

What restaurant would you like to see with a smartphone ordering application?

Editorial standards