Fast, seamless, and predictable. That’s what quick-service restaurant customers expect every time they pick up an order. Whether it’s a meal after work, a mobile order between meetings, or a road trip stop, the experience has to be consistent. Every time.
“You want to make sure customers are coming back to you over and over again,” says Ashley McNamara, vice president of global marketing at Apex Order Pickup Solutions. “But, if the pickup process isn’t reliable, that’s where you lose them. If I have a great ordering experience but show up and my food is missing or have to wait in line, that’s frustrating.”
Many restaurants still struggle with the pickup process in the off-premises experience. Orders are placed through carefully designed apps and prepared with precision but often are left on an open shelf, leading to confusion, lost orders, and frustrated customers.
“Restaurants now need to be able to adapt to many different types of experiences,” McNamara says. “It could be the same customer wanting something different each day, but they need to know every experience is smooth and efficient.”
Restaurants invest heavily in digital ordering, but many fail at the last step: the handoff. Customers are promised speed and accuracy in the app, but once they arrive, they’re faced with an unstructured, inconsistent pickup experience.
“We talk a lot internally about completing the digital chain of custody,” McNamara says. “You’ve invested in digital ordering, preparation, and payments—why risk failure at pickup?—why stop short on the last step?”
Apex automated pickup solutions close that gap, ensuring orders reach the right person at the right time, every time. Whether it’s a customer picking up their meal or a delivery driver making multiple stops per day, Apex makes the process seamless, repeatable, and scalable.
“There are a lot of inherent mistakes that can happen with a manual process,” McNamara says. “Customers grabbing the wrong order, drivers missing an item—it leads to frustration and impacts brand perception. Our solutions remove those risks and ensures a flawless pickup every time.”
Apex provides automated, self-serve pickup locker solutions that integrate seamlessly with a restaurant’s digital ordering system, ensuring every order is secure and retrieved quickly. Customers and delivery drivers use a unique pickup code for fast, line-free access to their order—no searching through crowded shelves.
With Apex automated pickup solutions, orders are handled once, placed in a secure compartment, and picked up with zero employee intervention—freeing staff to focus on service and production rather than managing handoffs.
“Think about a quick-service restaurant putting 150 orders through our solution every day—that’s 150 times employees don’t have to stop what they’re doing,” McNamara says. “For brands struggling with labor or want more efficiency in their back of house, that’s a lifesaver.”
Loyalty programs are also essential for bringing customers back, but they only work if the pickup experience itself is effortless. Apex helps restaurants integrate loyalty incentives directly into the pickup process, creating a rewarding interaction for guests.
“Tying in an efficient pickup with a loyalty program allows brands to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got this great experience for you—come grab your order quickly, and we’ll reward you for it,” McNamara says.
Brands can offer discounts, free items, or exclusive perks for customers who pick up in-store using Apex solutions rather than relying on third-party delivery. This reduces commission fees, boosts profitability, and strengthens direct customer relationships.
“A lot of restaurants use a pickup shelf, but in one location it’s here, in another, they stopped using it altogether. It’s an inconsistent experience,” McNamara says. “With our solutions, guests always know what to do, where to go, and how to get their order fast.”
Today’s quick-service restaurant guests want options. Sometimes they dine in, and sometimes they grab and go, but no matter how they interact with a brand, they expect a predictable, easy experience. An automated pickup solution from Apex is the final, critical piece of a restaurant’s digital transformation to ensure that.
“This is what Apex does. We work with brands to optimize their order pickup process. That’s what we do,” McNamara says. “We build customized solutions that restaurants are implementing to transform their unique order pickup challenges and/or goals. It’s a very, very specific thing and that’s all we do. It’s where our focus is. We spend every single day doing this stuff.”
To learn more about how Apex Order Pickup Solutions can optimize your pickup experience, visit their website.
By Drew Filipski
