The fast food franchise launched a new remote point-of-sale system to expedite check-out. Consumers will be able to order Five Guys on-the-go using a number of technologies such as an iPhone application and SMS texting.

“With high quality and custom-made products like Five Guys Burgers & Fries, food often takes longer to prepare than it does at a fast food chain,” said Noah Glass, founder/CEO of GoMobo, New York. “Mobile ordering makes it possible for customers to order and pay ahead, so that their food is ready when they are.

“The idea is that the restaurant point of sale is no longer tied to the cashier at the counter,” he said. “Now it is in the customer’s pocket everywhere he goes and all throughout the day.”

Lorton, VA-based Five Guys is a restaurant chain specializing in burgers, fries and other fast-food staples. It was the fastest-growing restaurant chain in the United States in 2009, according to tech consulting firm Technomics.

GoMobo helps restaurant chains integrate mcommerce strategies with mobile Web sites. Its clients include Subway and Burger King (see story).

Five Guys in a few clicks
By adopting the GoMobo Takeout system, Five Guys shifts the point of sale from its store locations to the handsets of hungry customers.

The restaurant chain will be rolling out an iPhone application and ordering via SMS, which supplement the revamped Five Guys mobile Web site.

The application uses the handset’s built-in GPS technology to locate nearby Five Guys franchises.

Here is a screen grab of the application’s store locator:

Customers can then place orders and pay remotely.

Here is a screen grab of the application’s order screen:

Customers can schedule a pick-up time so that they can skip the line and get straight to eating upon arrival.

In addition, GoMobo will also let patrons order Five Guys via SMS.

After users register with the Five Guys Web site, they can link their handsets to the account and save their favorite orders.

Then, they can place an order in one click by texting the keyword MENU to the short code 466626.

With the deal, Five Guys becomes the first company to use the Radiant RPOS-integrated point-of-sale system on a national level.

The burger chain and GoMobo are also planning to roll out a Micros-integrated point-of-sale system at some point later in the year.

Industry simplifies takeout
Five Guys’ partnership with GoMobo matches a trend across the food and beverage industry.

“More and more restaurant chains are coming to view mobile ordering as state-of-the-art for self-service ordering,” Mr. Glass said. “[This trend] started on in-store kiosks, moved to online ordering, and has now made the leap to mobile ordering.

“The mobile phone is a location-aware device, which makes it easier than ever to find nearby restaurant locations and order your favorite meals,” he said.

As mobile point-of-sale strategies become more popular, companies are directing more attention towards improving the handheld experience.

“One of the common challenges of the mobile web is creating an experience that is optimized for a small screen and fewer keystrokes,” Mr. Glass said.

“GoMobo is constantly searching for ways to make the mobile ordering experience faster and easier, so that we can remove all barriers between a customer’s desire and a transaction,” he said. “Retail technology and consumer behavior are coming together on the mobile device.”