McDonald’s debuts mobile app so you can order all the Big Macs you can eat

Stepping up to the counter to order a Big Mac is so yesterday.

McDonald’s is finally getting with the modern times and has started pilot testing a mobile app that lets customers place food orders with their phones for in-restaurant or drive-through pickup.

As of Wednesday, 29 restaurants in Monterey and Salinas, California have begun accepting mobile ordering and payment through the McDonald’s app.

McDonald’s plans to expand the pilot test program to 51 more restaurants in Spokane, Washington on March 20, and then to 14,000 U.S. restaurants and about 6,000 locations spread across Canada, China, the UK, France, Germany and Australia by the end of the year.

While you might be thinking finally, nailing down the logistics for mobile ordering and payments for a fast-food franchise as huge as McDonald’s isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Jim Sappington, McDonald’s executive vice president of operations, digital and technology, says it’s completely redesigning kitchens in order speed up order flow and give customers an experience that’s “clearly better.”

They’re thinking about everything, from how to time meal preparation in order to ensure food isn’t cold to making sure customers aren’t stuck waiting for their orders when they arrive for pickup. “We can’t impact the speed or the quality of our food,” Sappington says.