Wendy's Updates iOS App to Enable Mobile Payments at U.S. Locations

Wendy's has updated its My Wendy's app for iOS devices with the ability to take mobile payments at most of its 5,800 locations in the United States, reports The Associated Press. The fast-food restaurant chain has reportedly been developing its mobile payment system over the past year, testing its app at some of its locations throughout the country.

Once opened, the app allows users to find the nearest restaurants accepting the new mobile payment system, which can be enabled through the creation of a Wendy's profile. Unlike the process of mobile payments by other merchants however, a mobile payment at a Wendy's restaurant is processed by showing a cashier a generated six-digit number. According to Wendy's Digital Vice President Brandon Rhoten, this method was enabled to make it more convenient for customers going through pickup windows.

The move reflects a push by fast-food chains to court younger customers by tapping into the attachment they have to their phones.

"If they want to come in and give us business, we want to allow them to pay the way they want to pay," Craig Bahner, chief marketing officer for Wendy's, said in a phone interview.

The move comes as a number of other restaurants have begun to implement mobile payment systems, with Chipotle, Domino's Pizza, and Pizza Hut all adding support in their respective apps. Taco Bell announced last month that it would be rolling out its mobile ordering platform nationwide later this year, with Burger King expected to follow suit with its own platform. McDonalds, the world's largest fast food chain, is also expected to launch a mobile payment system sometime in future, with testing currently underway at some of its U.S. locations.

The updated My Wendy's app for iOS devices is available now in the App Store. [Direct Link]