McDonald's Prepares To Launch Mobile App, So You Can Order A McGriddle On Your Phone

Joining ranks with brands like Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, and Taco Bell, McDonald's will begin testing mobile ordering options in select cities this year, with plans to "scale it up as soon as possible."

In an interview with The Street, McDonald's chief digital officer, Atif Rafiq, confirmed that the company "will be piloting ordering capabilities through mobile in some geographies [sic] outside the United States this year," presumably followed by the U.S.

For now, McDonald's is focused on solving the problems that will follow the launch of a mobile ordering system, such as where individual restaurants will allow customers to pick up mobile orders, and how quickly different menu items can be prepared once an order is placed on the app. "We are going to give customers a lot of control, and we need to make our operations work in this type of world," Rafiq said.

The company already has a mobile app in place — though it currently only serves as a loyalty program for beverage purchases — and announced earlier in March that it was in the middle of developing a more comprehensive loyalty program. McDonald's also recently trademarked a new slogan, "The simpler, the better," but has kept mum about its plans for use.