Yum! Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, has launched a mobile device application available on the iPhone and Android allowing consumers to order menu items directly from their phones.
The application is available for use in drive-thru and in-store purchases and functions through the use of debit and credit cards.
When the company announced the mobile application, they blacked out their social media sites (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) and highlighted its launch.
"You get to skip the line," Taco Bell Director of Mobile Experience Jeff Jenkins said, according to CNN Money.
"When you get within 500 feet of the location, you get a notification on your phone that says, 'Looks like you've arrived. Would you like us to start preparing your food?'"
Taco Bell isn't the only company that has implemented a mobile application of the same nature: Starbucks will launch its own app later this year where Portland residents, the first to test, will order coffees via their iPhones.
A number of fast food franchises are considering launching their own applications of similar nature in an effort to combat recent declines in popularity of menu items.
