McDonald’s might be a fast food chain, but at peak times you can still find yourself stuck in a queue, waiting for your Big Mac and fries.
Those in a rush who want nothing more than to skip the line completely are in luck though, as Maccies has just unveiled a brand new app feature that will let you do just that.
As of right now, UK customers with the McDonald’s app can access a new ‘Order Ahead’ feature as part of a trial.
However, there is a bit of a catch – as it’s a trial, the feature isn’t available everywhere, only in selected restaurants across Greater London, the South East, the East of England and the Home Counties.
So how does it work?
Order Ahead uses geofencing technology, which is location-based tech that creates boundaries on a virtual map. As such, you’ll need to consent to sharing your location in order to use it.
You place your order and pay via the app before you leave your location – be it home or the office – and then make your way over to get your food.
When your phone enters the boundary, an alert is sent to the restaurant so they can prepare your order as you approach and time it just right, so it’s ready for your arrival.
According to McDonald’s, your food will only start cooking when you are approximately three minutes away from the restaurant.
This comes after the chain recently made several big changes to its menu.
The Breakfast Roll was quietly axed in September, after five years on the morning line-up. Priced at £4.69 it featured sausage, egg, bacon and cheese in a soft roll with ketchup or brown sauce.
Similarly, the brand new Caramel Loaded McFlurry, which launched last month alongside the return of Monopoly, was taken off menus after just one week.
According to McDonald’s it was removed from restaurants due to a ‘quality control issue’, although they did not share what the issue is.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s told Metro: ‘We are aware of a quality control issue relating to the Caramel Loaded McFlurry and can confirm that the item has been removed from our menu.
‘At McDonald’s, we place a strong emphasis on quality control and are disappointed by any instance where we fall short of our standards. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.’
Fans had had mixed reactions to the McFlurry while it was available with some absolutely loving it and others claiming the caramel chunks were ‘so hard’ they had almost ‘broken their teeth’ trying to eat it.
McDonald’s hasn’t confirmed whether the Loaded Caramel McFlurry might make a comeback in future, instead the Toffee Crisp McFlurry returned in its place.
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