Tech review: Apps speed up fast-food process

"Pay as you go" has a new meaning as customers order food and pay their tabs using mobile apps. Whether you crave burgers, tacos, pizza or an iced vanilla latte, these apps from chains with a strong Long Island presence can speed up the fast-food process.

Domino's Pizza

(iOS, Android; free)

After setting up an account, you can pick up your pizza at your local store or have it delivered. If you choose delivery, the tracker function lets you follow your pizza from oven to when it sets out on its journey to your front door. In addition to paying with a credit card, Android users can pay through their Google Play account. Rivals Pizza Hut and Papa John's have similar apps.

Five Guys

(iOS, Android; free)

The burger chain is well ahead of rivals McDonald's and Burger King when it comes to mobile ordering and payments. Five Guys' best feature is its voluminous number of toppings, and the app makes it easy to build your burger or hot dog to your specifications. Your meal is prepared quickly, so don't be far from the restaurant when you place your order. (You can also request a specific time to pick up your meal.) At the restaurant, go straight to the pickup area.

Chipotle

(iOS, Android; free)

After setting up an account and entering credit-card information, ordering and customizing your meal from the popular Mexican-food chain is easy. The app tells you the time your meal will be ready, and when you get to the restaurant you can stride past the ordering line and go straight to the pickup area. The app lets you include special requests, for example toppings on the side.

Starbucks

(iOS, Android; free)

You can't order a cappuccino or a scone using this app; it is exclusively for mobile payments. But the lack of ordering capability hasn't hurt its popularity. Starbucks says more than 10 percent of its sales come via the app. After adding funds to your virtual Starbucks card, the app produces a scannable bar code. If you use the app in the drive-thru, you have to extend your phone through the car window for it to be scanned, so hold on tight.

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