# Inside the Geofence: Faster Pickups Start Here

DevFeed: [Inside the Geofence: Faster Pickups Start Here](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/inside-the-geofence-faster-pickups-start-here-23980.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://medium.com/mcdonalds-technical-blog/inside-the-geofence-faster-pickups-start-here-8b7ec97717fe?source=rss----3bac42476d27---4>)

Author: Global Technology

Published: 2026-05-12T13:14:04Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [McDonald's Technical Blog - Medium](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/mcdonald-s-technical-blog-medium.md>)

Topics: [Testing](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/testing.md>), [Mobile](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/mobile.md>), [real-time](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/real-time.md>), [Wi-Fi](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/wi-fi.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data.md>), [App](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/app.md>)

Tags: [app](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/app.md>), [automation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/automation.md>), [geofencing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/geofencing.md>), [gps](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/gps.md>), [location](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/location.md>), [location-based](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/location-based.md>), [mobile](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mobile.md>), [notifications](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/notifications.md>), [push-notifications](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/push-notifications.md>), [quality-assurance](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/quality-assurance.md>), [real-time](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/real-time.md>), [technology](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/technology.md>), [testing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/testing.md>), [wi-fi](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/wi-fi.md>), [workflows](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/workflows.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains how McDonald's integrates geofencing into mobile field testing to evaluate digital features under real-world conditions such as drive-thru lanes, parking areas, and restaurant environments. It reports that this approach improved accuracy, timing, and reliability for experiences including Ready on Arrival, curbside pickup, loyalty, notifications, and order-preparation workflows.

## Source excerpt

Geofencing field testing turns noisy GPS signals into reliable arrivals for drive-thru, curbside, and beyond. By Chandrani Gupta Chowdhury, Sr. Manager, Quality Assurance Engineering Quick Bytes: Lab testing alone can't fully capture the real-world conditions that shape mobile experiences inside McDonald's restaurants As customers drive toward a restaurant, pull into a parking spot, or move through a drive-thru lane, geofencing-enabled field testing shows how digital features respond in real time This approach improved accuracy, timing, and reliability -- strengthening customer experiences like Ready on Arrival (ROA), curbside, and loyalty Mobile experiences don't happen in perfect conditions -- they happen in cars, parking lots, drive-thru lanes, and busy restaurants where signals fluctuate and customer behavior is unpredictable. For McDonald's, ensuring digital features work reliably in these real-world environments is critical to delivering fast, seamless experiences at scale. To meet that challenge, teams began integrating geofencing into field testing, allowing them to observe how mobile features perform as customers approach, arrive, and move through restaurant spaces. Inside the digital boundary of the restaurant Geofencing is a location-based technology that leverages GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular data to create virtual boundaries around physical locations, enabling applications to trigger predefined actions when users enter or exit those zones. The benefits of incorporating geofencing into field testing are significant. From an operational standpoint, it helps ensure restaurants are prepared to receive and fulfill digital orders efficiently, reducing customer wait times and improving order accuracy. From a customer experience perspective, geofencing enables timely, relevant, and seamless interactions, reinforcing trust in the digital journey. Within the McDonald's ecosystem, geofencing can be applied across restaurant footprints -- including parking areas and drive