NEW REPORT: Why Five Guys Says Mobile Order-Ahead Is All About The KISS

Restaurants that want to deliver a great — not just good — mobile order-ahead experience may want to consider the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid, that is). At least that seems to be the case when it comes to mobile order-ahead apps these days.

The latest PYMNTS.com Mobile Order-Ahead Tracker™, powered by LevelUp, features news on restaurants around the space introducing new mobile ordering solutions designed to give customers a simpler, more convenient ordering experience.

Around the Mobile Order-Ahead World 

There’s no shortage of reasons why restaurateurs would want their eateries to join the mobile-ordering movement.

With the delivery space worth billions of dollars and diners increasingly making decisions based on mobile ordering options, mobile and digital ordering as a whole have become a major revenue driver in the restaurant industry — so it comes as no surprise that some of the biggest names in the industry have invested in new mobile ordering technology.

Au Bon Pain, for instance, recently became the latest QSR franchise to debut mobile ordering options, with the launch of ABP Pickup — the company’s new line-busting, mobile order-ahead service. And Burger King has been testing mobile payments in the Miami area, with sights on a larger scale rollout. According to reports, it’s likely there will be a national rollout of mobile ordering and payments in the coming months at BK. 

Meanwhile, McDonald’s is racing to add mobile ordering services but is being slowed down by the massive scale of its business. Farhan Siddiqi, VP of digital experiences at McDonald’s, told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster that the company is currently building an initial ordering platform that will allow for continual updates with new technology and features. 

Why Five Guys Keeps It Simple

But while Burger King and McDonald’s ready their systems for launch, some burger chains have been in the mobile order-ahead game for years. In a recent interview with PYMNTS for the May Mobile Order-Ahead Tracker™ feature story, Molly Catalano, vice president of marketing for the chain Five Guys Burgers & Fries, said the company designed its app in 2011 to give a simple ordering experience and has since stayed true to that mission.

“The aim was to make it as simple and straightforward as possible, and customers have really responded to that,” she said. “The app is really geared toward ordering, and the biggest benefit is that time-saving aspect. When they’ve arrived, they’ve already paid, they’ve already placed a customized order, they just need to check in with the cashier, which eliminates a lot of the hassle that comes with placing an order.” 

To read the story, as well as the latest news and trends from the mobile order-ahead space and profiles and scores for more than 30 of the biggest players in the space, check out this month’s Tracker.

—–

To download the May edition of the PYMNTS.com Mobile Order-Ahead Tracker™, powered by LevelUp, click the button below. 

About the Tracker

The PYMNTS Mobile Order-Ahead Tracker™, powered by LevelUp, serves as a monthly framework for the space, providing coverage of the most recent news and trends, along with a provider directory highlighting the key players contributing across the segments that comprise the mobile order-ahead ecosystem. 

Flying Cars Can Wait: CES Shows Future Is Robots That Cool Your Soup, Pick Up Socks

AI Me gadget from CES 2025

What do the movies “Blade Runner,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Back to the Future Part II” and Spike Jonze’s “Her” all have in common?

These science fiction movies, each depicting various versions of a future full of fantastic technologies, all take place in the year 2025 or earlier.

Though some of the high-tech gadgets and futuristic innovations seen in these films, such as hoverboards and flying cars, haven’t quite materialized in everyday life, they have sparked imagination and set the stage for the very real innovations. As the dozens of groundbreaking products and wacky gadgets that debuted at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week reveal, the future is certainly now.

CES, after all, rarely disappoints when it comes to providing a first-look at some truly strange gadgets that might just represent the ultimate showcase of tomorrow’s technology.

From artificial intelligence (AI) being embedded into everything and smarter than ever home devices, to autonomous robotic companions and wearable tech that both bends and blends reality, many of the inventions that once seemed out of reach in Hollywood films are now being unveiled on the convention floor.

See also: The Five Not-So-Obvious Things That Will Change the Digital Economy in 2025

Could Smart Home Robots Revolutionize Daily Life?

It’s becoming clear that today’s technological advancements are increasingly bridging the gap between what was once imagined and what’s now becoming real.

For example, smart home robots are no longer a futuristic fantasy — they are being positioned as potentially indispensable components of modern households.

CES 2025 saw the debut of the Roborock Saros Z70, a robot vacuum with a telescopic, five-axis arm. Rosey the Robot from “The Jetsons” has nothing on this little gadget, which its maker describes as “a mechanical arm that sees and thinks,” and is able to pick up and put away items like socks, shoes, tissues and more.

For more serious household tasks, the SwitchBot Multitasking Household Robot K20+ Pro was also unveiled at CES 2025. “Whether it’s delivering objects, vacuuming, monitoring pets, purifying the air, providing home security, or even mobilizing smart tablets, the K20+ Pro juggles household management with ease … from delivering food and drinks to carrying small packages,” said a company release.

Read more: Training Robots Using Video Games Could Democratize Warehouse Automation

The K20+ Pro’s core is designed for customization and flexibility, serving as a modular foundation that allows users to create, adapt, and personalize the robot for a wide variety of innovative applications, and can connect with third-party smart devices like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri, ensuring integration into any smart home ecosystem.

Elsewhere, TCL premiered its “AI Me” (Amy) concept companion robot, complete with animated eyes, autonomous movement and an AI-powered camera on its head; while Dreame showcased its X50 Ultra robot vacuum that has legs to avoid obstacles.

As smart home technology continues to evolve, the integration of robots designed to assist in daily activities could significantly alter how we interact with our homes, manage tasks and even shape the future of work.

TomBot, for example, debuted an emotional robotic lap dog, Jennie, an AI robot therapy dog designed to keep seniors company. On the more playful side of things, Tokyo robotics startup Yukai Engineering introduced the Nékojita FuFu, a portable cat-shaped robot that can blow air to cool hot food or drinks.

It wasn’t solely robotics for use at home being showcased at CES. John Deere used the Las Vegas event to reveal its own autonomous agricultural products. The fully autonomous machines were on display from Jan. 7 to 10, and were a bit bigger in size, if equivalently less cute, than the TomBot puppies.

Read more: Google Reportedly Bringing Gemini AI to TV Sets

The Future Is Calling and Consumers Can Answer Anywhere

Behind the strangely futuristic convenience of a robot picking up your laundry and taking out the trash while it vacuums and interfaces with the rest of your household appliances lies a much larger story: the rise of the smart economy.

As CES 2025 showed, augmented reality (AR) glasses are the eye candy of the smart economy. A host of futuristic specs were unveiled, capable of a range of tasks that turn the wearer into a high-tech superhero.

Halliday showcased “the world’s first proactive AI glasses with invisible display,” while freshly debuted Loomos.AI glasses offer a ChatGPT-4o integrated AI assistant.

But other appendages remain up for grabs, and innovative products from smart rings to apps like WowMouse, which allows smartwatch wearers to control devices using just their gestures and fingers, are vying for market share in ways that aim to make daily life more convenient, efficient and secure.