Burger King Tests Mobile Payment App

Burger King Corp. has launched a pilot program to test its new mobile payment application in select restaurants in the Salt Lake City, Utah, area.

The BK Mobile Crown Card pilot program allows customers to pay for purchases at participating locations using an application, called BK, on their smartphones. About 50 restaurants in Salt Lake City, Utah and the surrounding metropolitan areas are testing the app.

"At Burger King Corp., we are focused on delivering an excellent restaurant experience for our guests, which includes optimizing our point of sale technology and providing quick and easy payment options," said Kelly Maddern, chief information officer at Burger King Corp., in a statement. "The BK Mobile Crown Card is the perfect fit for our technology and quality-conscious consumers who lead mobile lifestyles, and we are excited about putting this functionality into their hands, getting their feedback and building from there."

The BK application works on smartphones with iOS and Android operating systems.

To start paying with the app, customers must download it and use it to purchase a reloadable BK Mobile Crown Card. Customers can then pay for orders by opening the app on their smartphone and using it to scan a QR code, which is a special bar code placed on counters or at drive thru windows. Purchases are debited directly from the prepaid BK Mobile Crown Card.

Rocco Fabiano, president at Firethorn Mobile, the mobile commerce provider that helped develop the app, said in a statement that the app does not require any investment in new hardware or upgrades at Burger King units.

Customers can download the BK app at no charge from the iTunes App Store or Google Play store.

Miami-based Burger King operates or franchises 12,534 restaurants worldwide.

Contact Olivia LaBarre at olivia.labarre@penton.com.
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