Apple Pay is coming to Starbucks next year
Apple Pay will expand to Starbucks, KFC, and Chili's in 2016 in its goal to "replace the wallet," said Jennifer Bailey, Apple's VP of Apple Pay and Internet Services, on-stage at Code/Mobile in Half Moon Bay.
Apple's payments system, which lets people store credit cards and loyalty cards on their phones, already lets coffee lovers fill up their Starbucks card to pay at the register. Starting in 2016, Starbucks will start piloting Apple Pay in a few stores before expanding to the 7,500 corporate-owned stores, Bailey said.
The expansion into more food locations is part of a larger restaurant shift. Talking to restaurant owners, she said she found that restaurant-goers spend 25 percent of their time waiting for the check.
Bringing Apple Pay into the Kentucky Fried Chicken chain was a special one for Bailey, too.