Even Faster Fast Food - Chipotle ordering iPhone app

  

     Do you know that Chipotle has a  free online ordering app for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad?  You can simply find a nearest location, customize your order and pay online so you can just skip the line and pick it up as soon as you get into the store. The app can even remember your couple last orders so you can easily get your favorite choice again.

(From left to right, top to low: iPhone app; picture order; nearest location search; menu; customize your order; remember your favorite choice)

     Chipotle released this online ordering app last September and have already achieved approximately 750,000 downloads this May and scored an average 4.5 over 5 stars from 31,690 ratings. The company's spokesman said that they did not really advertise the app strongly except from the PR, social media and listing on the Apple iTunes Store. The spokesman also claimed that they did not disclose any sales data through this new platform and also have no interest doing so.

     I have to admit that once I tried this app, it has created a pretty strong incentive for me to order from Chipotle comparing to other fast food restaurants when I am in a rush. While I was working at Columbia MD, there is a Chipotle in the mall. During lunch time, there's constantly a long line waiting to be served and might take more than 10 minutes wait till you get your food. One time when I was in line, I saw a couple of black and white letter size flyers by the cashier that caught my attention. iPhone app for Chipotle, Seriously? After the third time I walked by that flier, I downloaded the app and have loved it since!

     In fact, this Chipotle ordering app was not so successful in the beginning. The app was first launched in January 2009 but removed from the Apple Store just couple hours later. Reason? The app designed company, Sequence, faced a more than expected demand which overloaded the servers. Instead of fixing the problem and let the consumers keep downloading it, they immediately decided to remove and redesign the app for better function. Plenty of websites and blogs discussed (made fun) on this failure. However, the re-launched app did make a come back.

     I went to ask for the iPhone app flier at a chipotle in Baltimore, the store manager gave me a bunch.

This flier is even prettier than the one which grabbed my attention in the first place - a simple black and white A4 flier.

     He said the app had been out for over a year and almost everyone now knows about the app so they didn't even need to advertise it anymore. He said this app did make an unexpected great success to their company and no doubt increase their customers. According to the store manager's estimation, their online order might be around 30-50% within their branches these days. Also, because the online order customers can just go to the cashier for their orders, it reduces the line and of course, makes more people wants to come in.

     We can easily find out that this kind of mobile app will give both the stores and the customers benefit. Moreover, I realize that through Chipotle's computer online order, you don't need to pay in advance (might because a lot of time it will mostly be larger amount orders) while the iPhone app needs to finish the payment first. So for the store's stand of view, there don't even need to worry that the customers didn't show up to pick up their food. How convenient is that?

     Having this Chipotle app tried out the market, I believe more and more companies will start joining this area. For what I could think of already, McDonalds, KFC, Papa John's, PF Chang's, Cheesecake Factory... hmm... and many more! Maybe one day we will need to create a folder in iPhone called "Takeout"!

P.S
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