Letting customers skip the line

Giving them priority access, Mobo lets customers order from restaurants and pay for meals using sms. How it works? Customers create an account, which includes their credit card details. After signing up for the service, they can order online via www.gomobo.com, or by text message/sms. The order appears on the restaurant’s in-store Mobo system, and is automatically billed to the customer’s credit card. The restaurant confirms the order, and the customer receives a text message stating when the order will be ready for pick up. Every Mobo restaurant has a separate Mobo Pick Up counter, so when their order is ready, Mobo users can walk straight to the counter, state their name and last four digits of their phone number, and pick up their food. For those customers that can’t leave the office, Mobo also delivers. Since complicated orders (medium rare, hold the mayo) are cumbersome to order by text message, users can store their favourites in their online account, simplifying the procedure to just texting a corresponding number to Mobo. According to Mobo, the benefits for partnering restaurants are increased profits from new Mobo customers, higher average order amounts, increased customer loyalty and improved operating efficiency. Mobo, which launched in May 2006, currently works with over a dozen restaurants in New York City, with more to join soon. The company is also developing platforms for other services that involve people standing in line, such as transportation and entertainment. Customers save time (which IS the new currency), get a bit of that oh so coveted VIP treatment with their takeaways, and vendors increase profits. Now that mobile phones are truly ubiquitous, and ordering takeaways online is no longer a novelty, this concept should work well anywhere!