DALLAS, July 30 — No time to make dinner after a long day at work? Pizza Hut is testing a new concept which will keep your order hot in a special locker, allowing you to pick it up whenever convenient.

While another American food industry giant Starbucks announced the extension of its partnership with Uber Eats to serve fair-trade coffee throughout the country last week, Pizza Hut has found another solution to satisfy customers with busy schedules.

The brand, based in Dallas, is currently experimenting with the concept in its Hollywood, California restaurant. A new generation of lockers like those used by Amazon for merchandise pick-up have been equipped with a system to keep pizzas hot and drinks cold.

Consumers place their order via smartphone on the Pizza Hut app or the chain's website, and pay right away. The lockers have digital screens indicating clients' names.

Other take-out lockers of the same type are expected to be deployed for testing along the West Coast in 2020.

Pizza Hut has more than 16,800 restaurants in the world, with 7,500 in the United States alone. — AFP-Relaxnews