Subway to use Apple Pay in new self-order kiosks & iPhone preorders
Roger Fingas
Subway is in the middle of testing a new restaurant design that will make Apple Pay an integral option when ordering food, in some cases before people even walk through the door.
Upgraded locations will have self-order kiosks supporting both Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, the company said on Monday. Once an order is completed, people will be able to claim it at a dedicated pick-up space. The chain does already support Apple Pay, but only for conventional orders.
The pick-up space will also handle preorders made through the company's iPhone app, which is being updated with its own Apple Pay compatibility. Currently mobile users have to manually add a credit, debit, or Subway card.
To further attract a tech-savvy crowd, overhauled restaurants will include free Wi-Fi as well as USB charging ports at seats.
The new design — dubbed "Fresh Forward" — is being tested at a dozen locations worldwide. U.S. restaurants include ones in Chula Vista, Calif., Palmview, Texas, Hillsboro, Ore., Vancouver, Wash., and three Flordia markets: Orlando, Tamarac, and Winter Park.
Canadian pilots are taking place in Quebec, specifically Beauport and Granby. The one U.K. test city is Manchester.
It's not clear when the new store design will emerge from its test phase, but Subway said that "many elements of the new brand identity" will go global by the end of 2017.
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