In Japan, McDonald’s is resorting to a smartphone app to reduce wait times and customer complaints, as the country’s fast food industry continues to suffer staff shortages. The new app will allow customers to place and pay for their orders ahead of time, allowing them to walk in and pick up their food immediately. The company is also trialling a feature that will detect when the customer enters the restaurant and then send their order to the kitchen, to ensure they receive freshly-made food irrespective of when they actually arrive.
The app-based ordering system will be tested at a limited number of locations during this year, to be gradually rolled out to all remaining areas throughout 2019. McDonald’s is no stranger to click-and-collect mobile ordering—the chain has already rolled out similar systems in several other countries including the UK, US and Canada.
