McDonald's Holdings Company (Japan) Ltd., the Japanese unit of McDonald's Corp., will start testing a smartphone app for orders and payments at its 2,900 locations in a bid to cut waiting times and tackle labor shortage problems, the Nikkei Asian Review reported Feb. 23.

Customers will be able to place orders from their smartphones instead of waiting in lines. Orders will be sent automatically to the kitchen following a confirmation of the customer's arrival at the restaurant. This feature will ensure that customers get fresh food, the report added.

The global chain, which plans to open 1,000 new stores in 2018, expects to launch the new system in Japan in 2019, according to the report.