In 1993 Burger King began accepting credit cards for payment of fast-food garnering media coverage of this fundamentally new use case, which resurfaced on TikTok last year. Customers’ reactions recorded from the momentous event, while funny to watch today, were initially speculative as to whether paying by credit card for small purchases would catch on and if it would really be quicker vs cash or make waiting in line any shorter.
During the 1990s credit card use exploded with over three quarters of consumers having at least one or more credit cards, growing from just one fifth of families in the 1970s. Burger King was on to something.
Fast forward to 2024. Restaurant brands are once again in a unique position to revolutionize the customer experience — now with digital wallets. As 90% of Americans have a smartphone and 85% already say they know about digital wallets brands can capitalize on the routine behavior of most of their customers. Every day consumers walk around with their mobile devices in hand watching videos, messaging, getting directions, gaming and most importantly — purchasing.
