It’s not like bagging a burrito at Taco Bell takes a long time, but the fast-food chain’s hot new mobile app makes ordering unbelievably fast and frictionless.
The app promises that you’ll be able to order anything off the menu, pay for it, and have it prepared for you when you arrive. Not quite revolutionary, but a deliberate stab at modernizing the drive-thru experience. Order from your iPhone, and you get to skip the line.
It’s not every day that I get to write about Taco Bell, so I jumped at the opportunity to give it a test drive. Here’s my experience with the Taco Bell app from start to finish:
No Apple Pay? Eww.
The biggest problem with the Taco Bell app is that it doesn’t support Apple Pay, which is surprising given how well-thought-out the rest of the app appears to be. Apple Pay integration would simplify the payment process considerably and make me feel more secure. As it is now, I have to give Taco Bell my credit card info and make an account.
Apple Pay is just in its infancy, but it already feels like an inconvenience when apps don’t support it. I predict that Apple Pay support will end up being a make or break it for new apps that handle payments.
There’s also support for reloadable digital gift cards, which seems like a clear play towards the teen demographic. “Mom, can you load up my Taco Bell card again?”
The first purchase with the app is going to feel labored because of having to enter your card, but after that it’s just a matter of choosing items and placing an order.
Time to order
$1 Mountain Dew freeze drink? And #onlyintheapp? Sign me up.
Cheesy Gordita Crunch
One of my all-time favs. The app does a good job of breaking down the ingredients and making them look appetizing. There’s an option to make menu items supreme, which is always a good choice.
Cantina Power Burrito
The Cantina menu exists to make you feel like you’re being somewhat healthy, and that’s a lie I’ll tell myself today for lunch.
Secret menu
Taco Bell wasn’t kidding when it said that you’d be able to order anything it offers through the app. The add-ons menu is ridiculous. Not even sure where to begin.
Anything else?
Oh, you tempt me so, cheesy bean and rice burrito.
Time to review my order
Everything looks so cheap on the menu until you add it all together. You have to enter your card’s 3-digit security code the first time you use it, which is annoying.
Order confirmed!
And my order is placed! That was easy. There’s a nifty “rotate to reorder” feature that automatically queues up your favorite items.
Hello, old friend
I get this notification right when I pull into the parking lot. Opening it up takes me to the app. Pretty slick.
At the drive-thru
I live five minutes away from a Taco Bell, which is probably the reason I’ll die young. I choose to pick my food up via drive-thru like a good American. Unfortunately, there’s no way to skip the line when you’re behind a bunch of cars. Inside, you get to say you have a mobile order and go to the front of the line.
You read my mind
I’m convinced that the biggest reason drive-thru lines take forever is the time it takes to place an order. We’ve all been there. Do I want the Doritos Locos combo, or a few things off the dollar menu? It’s stressful.
Thanks to the mobile app, that dilemma is no more.
I tell the lady through the speaker that I have a mobile order. She seems a little confused at first, but then she quickly confirms that my name is indeed “Alex.” She shows me my order on the screen to confirm.
The home stretch!
I’m getting so close. I can practically taste the cheesy tortilla goodness.
At the window
The guy working the drive-thru is having trouble with the register, so a manager comes over to help. I worry that something is wrong, but everything turns out fine.
I never have to give my card to pay for anything, which feels weird. It’s almost like I’m stealing or something. I can totally see more restaurants doing this kind of thing with mobile ordering. It feels like the future. We still have a long way to go, but I like the idea of everyone just rolling through the drive-thru with orders already placed and paid for.
A lovely surprise
The manager says that because I’m the first mobile order customer at this location, I get a free order of Cinnamon Twists! SCORE!
Here’s your order
“Come back and see us!”
Thanks, but I’m still thinking about the Cinnamon Twists.
Mission accomplished
I devour my lunch on the way home. The entire process from ordering to consuming took about 20 minutes. Not bad.
Now I feel sick. Siri, where’s the nearest gym?
