NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks says its mobile app that lets people order and pay in advance will be available nationally starting Tuesday. That means lattes, breakfast sandwiches and other items you want could theoretically be waiting for you by the time you arrive.

Mobile order-and-pay is still rare, but could become more common as fast-food chains look to keep up with changing expectations. Taco Bell also introduced a mobile app last year that lets people order and pay in advance, and Wendy’s says it’s testing the option. If it works well, companies see such services and mobile apps in general as a way to build customer loyalty.

Starbucks Corp. introduced order-and-pay ahead in Portland, Oregon late last year and has since expanded it to 3,400 of its more than 7,400 company-owned U.S. stores. On Tuesday, it will roll out the option to the remainder of locations, including those in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco.

Starbuck Chief Digital Officer Adam Brotman explains the basics:

Q: Walk me through how the app works.

A: You open your app and in the upper right hand corner, you’re going to be able to click on a new tab that says “Order.” When you click “Order,” you’ll be able to browse and send that order to whichever store you select. The app will tell you the estimated pickup time.

Then you walk right in and pick up your order.

Q: Can you specify when you want to pick up your order?

A: (The app) will tell you the estimated pickup time. If it’s too quick, you could place (the order) once you get closer to the store.

You can pick whatever store you want, and you can check the wait times at various stores.

Q: In general, how much time in advance should people place their orders?

A: Generally, it is around three to five minutes. It can vary on two different factors — what’s in your order, and how busy the store is.

If there’s a bunch of other mobile orders in front of you, it might stretch your pickup time to 10 minutes. But for the most part, it’s going to be three to five minutes.

Q: Is there anything you can’t order off the app, like packaged food items?

A: You could order everything on the app that you could order in the store. If we run out of something, the app will reflect that. You can customize your order just the way you would in the store.

Q: Is there a separate area where people pick up their orders?

A: You go to the same place you would normally pick up your order. It will have your name on it. It will know your name from your loyalty account. Or you can go up and ask if you don’t see it.

Q: This has been in Portland for about nine months now. What percentage of orders now come through mobile order-and-pay there?

A: We’re not breaking out the number yet.

CORRECTION:

The original news release issued by Scooter’s Coffee indicated that the North Platte location would open in November of 2016.  The Post received written confirmation from Scooter’s and verified this information via email.  However, after numerous phone calls to NebraskaLand National Bank, Freedom Enterprises and Scooter’s Coffee, we have now learned that the location in North Platte will indeed be open by November or December of 2015.  So…drink up!

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NORTH PLATTE, NE — Scooter’s Coffee, the Midwest-based coffee franchise that has experienced tremendous growth over the past year, will be coming soon to North Platte, Nebraska.

Freedom Enterprises, one of Scooter’s largest franchisees, signed a lease at 1400 S. Dewey located in the Nebraska Land National Bank for a future Scooter’s drive-thru coffeehouse. The new location is set to open in November of 2015.

This location will offer Scooter’s World-Class brewed coffee, signature Espresso Blenders, real fruit smoothies and various other coffee shop favorites. Customers will be able to choose to order their favorite Scooter’s drink hot, iced or blended (frozen). It will also offer Scooter’s new line of breakfast sandwiches, and the customers will be able to use the company’s new mobile app that is currently in beta testing.

This lease marks the latest move in the company’s extraordinary growth. With nearly 130 stores in soon-to-be 16 states, Scooter’s recently signed a large Area Representative Agreement in Phoenix along with several other Multi-Unit Agreements in Oklahoma, Georgia, and Minnesota. Historically, Scooter’s opens an average of six stores per year. After spending the last year building a solid foundation, Scooter’s currently has nearly 40 locations set to open by the end of 2015.

About Scooter’s Coffee

Founded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska, Scooter’s Coffee roasts only the finest coffee beans in the world at its headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Scooter’s success over 17 years of history is simple: Stay committed to the original business principles and company core values. The Scooter’s mantra, often recited to franchisees, customers and employees is: “Amazing People, Serving Amazing Drinks, Amazingly Fast.” It represents the company’s business origins from 1998 and reflects a steady commitment to providing an unforgettable experience to loyal customers.

For more information, visit scooterscoffee.com or Facebook.com/ScootersCoffee.

A restaurant that was always hopping at lunchtime, on prom night and many other nights has closed its doors in North Platte.

Employees at The Depot, 520 North Jeffers Street, were told last Wednesday that the restaurant would be closing.

The Post has not been able to confirm a reason, other than it was for personal reasons with the ownership.

The Depot is owned by Deb and David McNew, and was also the home of The Rail bar, which provided live entertainment and adult beverages.

The restaurant also served as a meeting place for numerous clubs and organizations.

The restaurant was badly damaged in an August storm that raged through North Platte, but was soon reopened for business.

Sources say the property will most likely be sold.

The Post will bring you more information on this story when it becomes available.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Opponents of a campaign to reinstate Nebraska’s death penalty have filed a lawsuit arguing that ballot language drafted by the attorney general’s office is slanted in favor of death penalty supporters.

The lawsuit filed Monday in Lancaster County District Court asks a judge to declare that the wording is unlawfully misleading and confusing.

Nebraska lawmakers passed a death penalty repeal law in May. The ballot language submitted by Republican Attorney General Doug Peterson informs voters that retaining the law would eliminate capital punishment and change the “maximum” penalty for first-degree murder to life in prison.

Death penalty opponents say the word “maximum” is misleading because it incorrectly implies that first-degree murder convicts could face a lesser sentence than life in prison.

NEW YORK (AP) — New government data shows that in most states, the rate of adult obesity is not moving.

Results from a telephone survey show obesity rates stayed about the same in 45 states last year. There were small increases in Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Utah.

Some experts said they are glad, overall, that obesity rates aren’t getting worse.

The 2014 survey found that in 22 states, 30 percent or more of the population was obese. They were mostly in the South and Midwest. Three states — Arkansas, Mississippi and West Virginia — had obesity rates over 35 percent.

The government Monday released the rates, which were analyzed in a separate report by the advocacy group, Trust for America’s Health.

MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) — A 32-year-old woman who promoted car races in McCook has been given six months of probation for writing a bad prize check.

Online court records say Kristeena Brittain, of McCook, had made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of issuing a bad check. She was sentenced last week.

Brittain originally faced a felony charge for writing a $4,000 bad check in June 2014 on the Red Willow County Raceway account to Rick Salem, of Oberlin, Kansas.

The construction project on Jeffers Street known as 1st-6th Street, North Platte is behind schedule.

Due to many factors, construction will not be completed this year. The project will continue into the 2016 construction season.

The northbound lanes, sidewalk, and associated work will be completed this 2015 construction season.

The southbound lanes will be reconstructed next year beginning in the spring. The Contractor will be required to provide any temporary surfacing to ensure Jeffers Street will be open to normal traffic at the end of this season for the winter. Construction projects are allotted “working days” which are charged each day Monday through Friday when weather allows.

Additional days may be granted when work is added to the project. Currently, the project has used approximately 70% of the working days and is 40% complete, based on monetary values. If a project over-runs the allotted working days, a monetary damage is assessed to the contractor for each day over-ran.

This project may be subject to monetary damage assessment depending on the 2016 construction progress. Please note that the work on the southbound lanes has fewer utilities to contend with and work should progress faster than the current northbound lanes.