Recreation foodservice facilities adopt apps to speed service

Theme parks are using technology to reduce waits, but not just for rides.

They have started to allow customers to skip the cashier and order food ahead of time.

Disney World recently started allowing online preordering for its Be Our Guest restaurant, and this month it tested smartphone ordering at the Backlot Express restaurant and during the Fantasmic! nighttime show.

SeaWorld Orlando in November said guests could use an app to purchase select menu items ahead of time at Seaport Pizza. SeaWorld Entertainment plans to expand the system into more of its restaurants and theme parks this summer.

"It's very convenient, and that's what we're hearing from our guests," said Cathy Valeriano, SeaWorld's vice president of culinary operations. "It's definitely kind of the wave of the future."

Still, theme-park restaurants are just dipping their toes into the water compared with other restaurants. Chains offering online ordering include Panera Bread and, for to-go orders, Olive Garden. Publix supermarkets started an online-ordering system in 2013 for deli subs and wraps.

Restaurants and theme parks say they are responding to consumers who are increasingly tech-savvy and hungry for convenience.

Another benefit is that "this is a labor-saving device, because they don't need as many cashiers," Boston University hospitality professor Chris Muller said.

Shortening waits for attractions and rides is considered one of theme parks' biggest challenges. Attraction companies consider tackling the lines in eateries a lesser priority, said Robert Niles, editor of the Theme Park Insider blog.

"For a restaurant, getting the food is the primary thing. In a theme park, more often than not, food is secondary to the attraction," he said. "They've really been focusing on line skipping for the rides and shows.

Also, Niles added, there's "the issue of how many line-skipping products can you roll out to customers in one park before they start getting confused."

Disney declined to be interviewed for this story, but a spokeswoman said in an email the company is responding to changing guest expectations and noted that its billion-dollar MyMagic technology project makes it easier to explore digital options.