A trip to Shake Shack without having to wait in line may soon be a reality. Today the chain announced it's testing a mobile order and pay app. The Shack App allows users to order burgers, fries, and custard from New York's Midtown East Shack, and have it waiting for them when they arrive.
Guests must choose an available pickup time (set in fifteen minute increments) and their food will be timed to their arrival; users are notified via text when their order is ready.
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According to a press release, this is a single market test and no timeline has been established for future Shacks to launch the app. It's safe to assume it will eventually roll out to all Shake Shack stores, though. "We've got a lot to learn, and we intend to take our time listening to our guests and tweaking the app before launching it in additional markets," CEO Randy Garutti says.
A source who tested the app (but requested to remain anonymous) said the app offers a seamless way to order ahead at Shake Shack. "I ordered via the app twice and it was so easy, the food was ready on time, and it seems like this app is ready to be rolled out nationwide at any time. I had no trouble with it."
Here's what the app's current interface looks like:
Shake Shack recently opened its 100th store, and has a projected 17 openings on the docket for 2017. In an interview with Eater, Garutti said technology would continue to play an important role in the company: "...we're constantly thinking about how to [improve] the line, the waiting, the pick up, maybe someday you want it delivered. We want to meet people were they are, and that's how I think the future will go. But that's going to take more human beings than we've ever had to make those things happen."
The app functions similarly to Starbucks' mobile order and pay system, which has been tremendously successful for the coffee chain. Mobile order and pay accounts for approximately four percent of sales across all Starbucks stores in the U.S. At the chain's busiest stores, that number is over ten percent.