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I think it's mostly to get you to install the app, so they can advertise at you.

and tie your face/info to credit card

I'm not sure I agree the gains are so small. Since automated order taking is already solved then once you remove the need to wait for customers to physically present payment you can largely remove cashier roles entirely unless one is requested by a customer. This also has a lot of interesting potential for servicing individuals who might be prone to losing money/cards such as the homeless. I'm all for demanding they retain the ability to take payment in more privacy respecting mediums but personally I'd find this wildly convenient.

Heck, you could just use a license plate reader and get the same result. Not really “secure” but I’m okay with less than robust identity verification to buy a McDouble and some happy meals.

> This seems pointless. In the time it takes you to pull up to the camera, stop the car, line up your face, wait for your face to be recognized, you could have paid with a NFC card/phone. NFC also doesn't require you to register for an account and deposit money ahead of time. The only advantage I can think of is for mcdonalds, which pays less credit card fees because they can bundle transactions together.

The recognition will only get better/faster over time. And if you are a regular at a certain restaurant, it will probably save you quite a bit of time over the years. What if you forget your phone or wallet? You can still get a burger. But overall, yes, I think there is more benefit for the restaurant than the consumer. At the same time, any restaurant savings may result in lower food prices, more investment in cleaner restaurants, higher quality food, etc.