Apex Order Pickup Solutions, the tech company behind self-serve pickup lockers like Little Caesars Pizza Portals and similar systems at a variety of venues, is starting to cash in on the casino market following promising results from the first live deployments at a California resort.
Apex has installed two 23-compartment locker systems at eateries located within Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel in Highland, California, according to a Feb. 24 press release. The first occupied The Grove Express, a quick-service eatery, which proved effective in streamlining the food service operation and enhancing guest experiences, prompting the resort to include a second similarly sized system in the design of bEATS, a fast-casual venue with live music that opened in late 2025.
“Everything we do here is about elevating the guest experience, and Apex’s self-serve locker solutions align perfectly with that mission,” Christopher Fava, vice president of food and beverage at Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel. “From alerting guests when their order is ready to eliminating pickup lines, our locker systems not only smooth the order pickup process but also enable guests to maximize their time playing the slots or enjoying other resort amenities of their choice.”
After placing mobile orders at either venue, resort customers receive a text when their food is ready for pickup, which they collect using an access code. The two locker systems have averaged more than 150 daily orders at peak times, totaling more than 80,000 orders as of late February.
The self-serve pickup technology is well-suited to meet the needs of casinos and their guests, according to Ashley McNamara, Apex’s vice president of global marketing. Since 2015, the smart lockers have looked to increase operational efficiency at college campuses, zoos, theaters, and other venues. The two systems rolled out at Yaamava’ represent the company’s first steps into the casino market, with others reportedly in the buildout stage.
“Casinos are an ideal market for our automated pickup solutions because they eliminate wait times around food pickup, keeping guests engaged in gaming and entertainment instead of standing in line,” McNamara said in a press release. “The leadership team at Yaamava’ was among the first in the casino space to recognize the operational and guest-experience benefits, and their vision is paying off by helping deliver the high level of customer service that is critical to building satisfaction and revenue.”
Integration with the resort’s mobile ordering system through Apex’s back-end technology platform, ApexIQ, ensures orders are accurately matched, tracked, and placed into the correct compartment. Additionally, the platform offers metrics on order completion, pickup times, and average order dwell times, among other insights.
