Nearly 37% of Americans eat fast food on any given day! It’s no secret that America is a haven for fast food restaurants. What makes them so attractive are two things: taste and convenience.
And when it comes to convenience, customers always want more!
That’s why many fast food lovers want a definitive source of fast-food restaurants that take Apple Pay, and we are here to give you exactly that.
Fast-Food Restaurants That Take Apple Pay
When we started researching, we realized that there are more than 200,000 fast-food restaurants in America!
While that is a shockingly high number, it’s also impressive that Apple has been able to reach a vast majority of these fast-food chains with their Apple Pay option.
In fact, many of them proudly sport the “Accepting Apple Pay” symbol, and some even use Apple Pay as their preferred payment method.
That said, we decided to limit ourselves to the top 100 chains. Here is our exhaustive list of fast-food restaurants that take Apple Pay.
Burger places that accept Apple Pay:
- Checkers
- Culver’s
- Five Guys
- Fuddruckers
- Hardee’s
- In-N-Out Burger
- Jack In The Box
- Johnny Rockets
- McDonald’s
- Shake Shack
- Whataburger
- White Castle
- Sonic
- Carl’s Jr
- Whataburger
- In-n-Out
Burger joints seem to have taken to mobile payment methods like fish to water. We found that, apart from the one big exception being Wendy’s, almost all big burger joints offer Apple Pay.
Coffee & Donut shops that accept Apple Pay:
- Dunkin’ Donuts
- Krispy Kreme
- Peet’s Coffee
- Starbucks
- Peet’s Coffee & Tea
- Dunn Brothers Coffee
- Caribou Coffee
- Coffee Beanery
- Gloria Jean’s Coffees
- Tim Hortons
- Winchell’s Donuts
Almost all the major Coffee and Donuts chains such as Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts take both Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Fried Chicken places that accept Apple Pay:
- Church’s Chicken
- El Pollo Loco
- KFC
- Popeyes
- Wingstop
- Raising Cane’s
- Jollibee
- Chick-fil-A
Most major fried chicken joints also accept Apple Pay, with very few exceptions.
Pizza restaurants that accept Apple Pay:
- Domino’s
- Little Caesars
- Papa John’s
- Pizza Hut
- Your Pie
- Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom
- Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza
Pizza restaurants seem to be an exception to the rule. While major chains such as Domino’s and Papa John’s have upgraded to Apple Pay, there are some big misses like Sbarro.
Also, there are many local Pizza places that still do not take Apple Pay.
Mexican restaurants that accept Apple Pay:
If you are hankering for some good old Burritos or Tacos at your nearest Mexican food joint, the chances are about 50:50 that you will end up having to carry cash or cards.
Ice cream shops that accept Apple Pay:
- Baskin-Robbins
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Carvel
- Cold Stone
- Dairy Queen
- Bahama Buck’s
- Whit’s Frozen Custard
- Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream
- Sub Zero Ice Cream
- Kilwins
- Amy’s Ice Cream
- Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy Store
- Maggie Moo’s
- Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream
- Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers
- Rita’s
Just like the burger biggies, ice cream majors have also accepted Apple Pay payment wholeheartedly.
With very few exceptions, you can get your favorite ice cream or frozen custard without having to reach for your wallet.
Sub Sandwich places that accept Apple Pay:
- Firehouse Subs
- Jersey Mike’s
- Jimmy John’s
- Subway
- Potbelly Sandwich Works
With sub sandwiches being considered a healthier option among fast food lovers, this market is growing rapidly.
And sub sandwich biggies like Subway have decided to take the lead to use this app in its stores.
Casual Dining fast-food chains that accept Apple Pay:
- Chili’s
- Denny’s
- Friendly’s
- Luby’s
- Texas Roadhouse
- The Cheesecake Factory
Casual dining is a vast market, and it is difficult to cover every chain in this domain. But we feel that here, too, Apple Wallet is making a mark for itself.
Sports-themed fast food places that accept Apple Pay:
- Buffalo Wild Wings
- Hooters
- Bar Louie
- Buffalo Wings & Rings
- Bone Daddy’s House of Smoke
- Dave and Buster’s
- Fox and Hound
- Damon’s Grill
- Bar Louie
Bakery and Pretzel shops that accept Apple Pay:
- Auntie Anne’s
- Au Bon Pain
- Panera Bread
- Wetzel’s Pretzels
- Einstein Bros. Bagels
- Pret a Manger
- Le Pain Quotidien
- La Madeleine Country French Cafe
- Great Harvest Bread Co.
- Paris Baguette
Bakeries are another area where Apple Pay’s acceptance is almost absolute. There are very bakery and Pretzel stores that do not accept Apple Pay today.
Other restaurants/juice bars etc. that accept Apple Pay:
- Jamba Juice
- Olive Garden
- Outback Steakhouse
- Panda Express
- Pollo Tropical
Fast-Food Restaurants that Don’t Take Apple Pay
While Apple Pay has certainly done an impressive job of reaching a huge majority of popular fast-food chains, there are still a few that are holding out.
We were able to uncover nearly 40 popular fast-food restaurants that do not accept it. Read on to know them.
Burger places that don’t accept Apple Pay:
- Wendy’s
- Red Robin
- Steak ‘n Shake
- Burger King
Coffee shops that don’t accept Apple Pay:
- The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
- Seattle’s Best
- Biggby Coffee
- Shipley Do-Nuts
Fried Chicken places that don’t accept Apple Pay:
- Zaxby’s
- Bojangles
Pizza places that don’t accept Apple Pay:
- Godfather’s Pizza
- Sbarro
- Round Table Pizza
- CiCi’s Pizza
- Papa Murphy’s
- Mellow Mushroom
- Giordano’s Restaurant and Pizzeria
- California Pizza Kitchen
Mexican restaurants that don’t accept Apple Pay:
- Baja Fresh
- On the Border
- Wahoo’s Fish Tacos
- Chevys Fresh Mex
- Del Taco
- El Torito
Ice cream shops that don’t accept Apple Pay:
- CREAM
- Graeter’s
- Bruster’s
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Marble Slab Creamery
Sub Sandwich places that don’t accept Apple Pay:
- Jersey Mike’s Subs
- Which Wich?
- Quiznos
- Jason’s Deli
- Blimpie
Casual Dining fast-food chains that don’t accept Apple Pay:
- Buffalo Wild Wings
- Applebee’s
- Outback Steakhouse
- Red Lobster
- Ruby Tuesday
Sports-themed places that don’t accept Apple Pay:
- Smokey Bones
- Joe’s Crab Shack
Bakery and Pretzel shops that don’t accept Apple Pay:
- Corner Bakery Cafe
- Bruegger’s Bagels
What Is Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is Apple’s mobile wallet-based contactless payment method for Apple devices. It is right now the most popular payment app in America.
Today, it has coverage across more than 90% of retail stores. And its footprint is expanding every day.
Millions of people are getting used to paying with just a tap of their phones through Apple Pay.
Apple Pay is secure because it uses a unique device account number for each transaction, instead of using a credit or debit card number directly.
To start using it, all you need is:
- An Apple ID signed in to the cloud
- A compatible Apple device such as iPhone or Apple Watch
- A compatible credit or debit card
If you have all these things, you can start using Apple Pay at restaurants, gas stations, shops, drug stores, or any other stores that use Apple Pay for payments near you.
How to Use Apple Pay?
To start using Apple Pay, you need to first make sure that your Apple Wallet is active. You can do this by adding a credit or debit card to your device’s Wallet app on your iPhone or iOS device
Once that is ready, you will start to see a side button for Apple Pay on your device. When you are at stores that accept Apple Pay, you need to use this side button as per the instructions below
Apple Pay Touch ID
If you use Touch ID on your phone to sign in, you should do the following:
- Double-click the side button
- Authenticate the wallet screen with your fingerprint ID
- Hold your iPhone close to the store’s contactless payment reader
- When you see a green checkmark, your transaction is complete!
Apple Pay Face ID
If you use Face ID on your phone to sign in, then using Apple Pay is even easier:
- Double-click the side button
- Look at your phone for a few seconds to authenticate the transaction
- Hold your iPhone close to the contactless payments NFC reader
- When you see a green checkmark, your transaction is complete!
Apple Pay with Apple Watch
Using Apple Pay with Apple Watch is just as easy, if not easier. Here are the steps you need to take:
- Double-click the side button on your Apple Watch
- It will open your default card, you can change it by scrolling up or down
- Hold your Watch close to the NFC card reader and wait for a few seconds
- When you feel a slight buzz, your transaction is complete
How to Find Fast-Food Restaurants That Take Apple Pay?
Finding out if a restaurant or store accepts Apple Pay is not as difficult as you think. One way is to of course call up the store and find out for yourself.
But there’s a better way — you have this information already on your phone!
Just open the Apple Maps app on your iPhone and locate the store that you want to visit. Then follow these steps:
- Scroll down Apple Maps to the info section of the store
- Look for the Apple Pay logo or Apple Pay symbol.
- If it’s there, you are good to go!
Can You Order Fast Food Online with Apple Pay?
Yes, you can order fast food online with Apple Pay. Often, fast-food restaurants that take Apple Pay, their app will also have the option to pay with Apple Pay.
For example, McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, etc. all have Apple Pay as a payment process in their apps.
If you cannot find the app of the restaurant that you wish to go to, or you don’t find the option to pay with Apple Pay, you can also use a delivery app that accepts Apple Pay.
A few delivery app options which accept Apple Pay include:
- DoorDash: DoorDash is one of the most popular food delivery apps in North America.
- GrubHub: GrubHub is available across America and includes Apple Pay in its payment methods
- Instacart: While this is a grocery delivery app, they do accept Apple Pay and are present in 18 states across the US
- Postmates: This app is available in nearly 2,900 in America
Final Thoughts: Fast-Food Restaurants That Take Apple Pay
The Apple Pay user can find their favorite payment method at almost every major fast-food chain today, including McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, Popeye’s, Starbucks, Domino’s, Chipotle, BR, and more.
In fact, some of these restaurants that take apple pay are even doling out special offers to save money when you use Apple Pay.
However, there are still a few holdouts: the biggest names being Wendy’s, Giordano, Sbarro, Del Taco, Applebee’s, and Red Lobster.
We hope that in the future, the list of naysayers goes further down. We will keep updating our lists as events progress.
Fast-Food and Apple Pay FAQ
What Fast Food Can I Pay for with My Phone?
You can pay for almost every type of fast food with your phone. From burgers at McDonald’s to fried chicken at Chick-fil-a, to ice cream at Baskin-Robbins, to pasta dishes at Pizza Hut, or just a bite at your favorite sandwich chain, many of your favorite fast-food restaurants are using contactless payment options.
Do Drive-Thrus Accept Apple Pay?
Yes, in most places where you can pay at a restaurant with Apple Pay, you can also pay with it at the Drive-Thru. The process remains the same, with the drive-thru employee showing you the NFC reader in this case.
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