Little Caesars has streamlined the process of getting a pizza with a heated, self-service, mobile order pick-up station called the Pizza Portal.

Customers get hot, ready pizza after they walk in the store using automated, self-service hot-holding technology. The "Reserve-N-Ready" system combines mobile ordering, pre-payment and heated self-service. The system is in test in select stores and will expand to other markets later this year.

Customers place an order and pre-pay via the Little Caesars mobile app. The app will notify the customer when the order is ready. When the customer arrives at the store, they skip the line and go straight to the Pizza Portal and input a 3-digit pin or scan a QR code. The door on the customer's secured compartment opens, and they take their hot, fresh order.

Customers can get any pizza with their choice of toppings, or choose from expanded menu options using the mobile app.

The Pizza Portal's proprietary technology has been co-developed with Apex Supply Chain Technologies, a provider of automated dispensing systems, exclusively for Little Caesars.

"The genuine purpose behind integrating advanced technology into our stores is all about improving the customer experience, and building on our convenience and quality," said David Scrivano, president and CEO of Little Caesars.

(Photo courtesy of Little Caesars.)