| What if you could order a meal from your | | | | case. |
| favorite fast food joint with your cell phone? | | | | Here is how this idea works. A customer goes |
| Then all you would have to do is go pick it up and | | | | online and places an order. Before the order is |
| enjoy it. Well, that is exactly what is on the | | | | completed, it can be edited or changed in any |
| horizon for cell phone users as fast food | | | | way. Payment is also done online and the order is |
| restaurants are going mobile with SMS technology. | | | | placed. Your order is now sent through the SMS |
| A company in the UK has come up with a way to | | | | network to the kitchen. The kitchen sees your |
| utilize the global texting network. Businesses, like | | | | order exactly as you entered it, so mistakes with |
| fast food restaurants, place the small device, | | | | the orders are not a problem. |
| called an SMS printer, in the kitchen. The unit | | | | Since the whole process is done electronically, |
| receives messages as a text message and prints | | | | there are no interactions to worry about, |
| it out. The kitchen staff treats it as an order and | | | | misunderstandings or forgotten details. It all |
| fills it as they would any order. All the customer | | | | comes through in hard copy print to the kitchen |
| has to do is pick it up. | | | | personnel. Customers no longer have to pick up a |
| The SMS printer is a standalone device that is not | | | | phone or wait in a line at their favorite fast food |
| dependent on the Internet and does not require a | | | | or takeaway restaurant. |
| hard phone line in order to operate. Therefore it is | | | | Customers can even control when the order is |
| completely and totally portable. It is also small | | | | placed with the push of a button and with the |
| enough to be placed anywhere that is out of the | | | | exception of the order that prints in the kitchen, |
| way, yet accessible to the staff. Kitchens in fast | | | | is entirely paperless. There is no call to make, |
| food settings can use these types of printers to | | | | handwriting to decipher or line to wait in. |
| convey messages to kitchen staff correctly. | | | | Because the orders are placed on the Internet, |
| The printers use a thermal standard receipt paper | | | | they may be placed from any computer whether |
| sort of like that used by some fax machines. | | | | that is a desktop PC, a laptop or a cell phone with |
| They also use a standard SIM card like all cell | | | | Internet capabilities and access. Not only is this a |
| phones. This is how the printer picks up the SMS | | | | quicker, more precise order process, but adds a |
| text message and prints it for viewing. The SIM | | | | new dimension to fast food as we know it now. |
| cards can be bought almost anywhere and will can | | | | So now the Internet has a new use for everyday |
| be either a contract or PAYG (pay as you go) | | | | life. Fast food has gone mobile in one maneuver. |
| type card. This choice is totally yours, in either | | | | |