Tech-friendly coffee chain Starbucks Corp. on Tuesday said it
has expanded its mobile ordering service to 21 states in the
southern and central U.S.
The mobile-ordering service—which allows customers to place
pickup orders from its mobile application—began as a pilot in
Portland, Ore., in December 2014 and became available throughout
the Pacific Northwest this March.
Starbucks has become increasingly technology-focused, teaming up
with Spotify and tapping Microsoft Corp. veteran Kevin Johnson as
its chief operating officer .
In April of 2014, Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz had
said that "major tech companies and retailers" had inquired about
licensing Starbucks's mobile software.
The expansion comes as digital and mobile services become
increasingly important to the food and beverage industry. Digital
advances have extended to other eateries, such as pizza chains
Domino's Pizza and Pizza Hut, and Panera Bread Co. Panera
customers, for example, can remotely order online from their
computer or from the Panera app, and employees place their
completed orders on special shelves for pickup.
Shares of Starbucks, up about 27% this year through Monday's
close, fell less than 1% in premarket trading.
Write to Angela Chen at angela.chen@dowjones.com
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