Apps have takeaway orders in the bag

Tired of waiting behind others for a cup of coffee? In a rush to grab lunch? New apps are helping people skip the queue by pre-ordering coffees, drinks and meals.

Restaurant chains, start-ups and payment firms are hoping the apps will help them capture a bigger slice of the US restaurant industry.

The pre-ordering apps have been compared to Uber, the fast-growing rides-on-demand service that is changing the taxi industry.

New York's Preo, for iPhone and Android, works with bars to allow customers to pre-order and pay for drinks on their phones.

"We're taking the clunky point-of-sale systems and revamping them so that customers have a simple way of ordering," said Preo CEO Richard Liang.

Another app, Square Order, allows New Yorkers and San Franciscans to pre-order takeaways. It predicts when customers will pick up their order based on location, so the food is hot and ready to go when they arrive.