I’m going to be honest with you: I HATE lines. Like hate them, hate them. Loathe them, in fact. This stands in conflict to being able to obtain a few things I LOVE – Starbucks, Chipotle, and Disney. I have managed to life hack waiting in line for a very high percentage of experiences at these places. Disney is another post for another day, because let’s face it…Disney is an ANIMAL. Starbucks and Chipotle hacks are much more easy to explain in a single blog post.

Let me start by saying that I am in constant amazement that more people don’t use these amazing tools to prevent them from waiting in lines, and for that reason I’m hesitant to even share my sinister secrets of skipping lines, but I’m feeling generous tonight.

It’s important to know that both Starbucks and Chipotle both have apps for iPhone and Android that allow you to order and pay in advance from your phone. There are other companies that do this well, but since I experience the most extremely slow lines at Chipotle and Starbucks, I’m focusing there.

There is nothing quite so satisfying to me as walking into a Starbucks or Chipotle when there’s a huge line to the door, walking right up to the register, saying “I have an order for Elizabeth”, getting my order handed to me, and walking right back out before the line even moves. I feel like I’ve just saved mounds of time and a little self-dignity.

There are straightforward ways to order ahead of time: 1) you are about to leave your office/house on a coffee or burrito run and you order before you leave, 2) you’re in a car and use the app to find the closest location, place your order.

But then, there is the most satisfying way to skip the line…walk in, see there’s a line, decline to get in it, place your order, stand next to the pick up area, and watch your skinny cinnamon dolce latte magically appear before the person you were going to be behind in the line even gets to the register to order.

This works at Starbucks because of the design of their mobile ordering system. When you order, the system automatically sends your order to the printer and so it comes out next in line. There aren’t designated pick up times (like 2:15pm), only time-til-ready estimates (like 3-8 minutes), so your drink will be made quickly and you will always beat the people standing in the line. Always. I have never seen this fail.

Chipotle is a bit different, because they have designated pickup times and the people working the line target close to those times, and they are typically in 15 minute increments. So there isn’t such an awesome line-breaker strategy like Starbucks has, but at a very minimum you can lounge at a table while they make your food.

Bottom line…download these apps. You never know when you might need to save a little time and avoid a line!