Ziosk

Ziosk was founded in Dallas by entrepreneur and Southern Methodist University adjunct professor Jack Baum and three of his executive MBA students, Raymond Howard, Viren Balar, and Shawn Gentry.{{cite web |last1=Koller |first1=Dan |title=Ziosk's Tabletop Tablets Were Cooked Up in a class at SMU |url=https://dallasinnovates.com/ziosks-tabletop-tablets-were-cooked-up-in-a-class-at-smu/ |website=DallasInnovates.com |publisher=Dallas Innovates |access-date=1 February 2025 |date=January 8, 2016}}{{cite web |last1=Johnstone |first1=Liz |title=Ziosk Wants You to Play With Your Food |url=https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-ceo/2015/january-february/ziosk-tablets-chilis-restaurants/) |website=D Magazine |publisher=D Magazine Partners, Inc. |access-date=4 April 2025 |date=January 7, 2015}}

Baum, an experienced restaurant entrepreneur, assigned them the task of finding a way to reduce the time it took for a restaurant guest to ask for, receive, and pay the check -- usually 7 to 11 minutes.{{cite web |last1=Swanger |first1=Ben |title=Ziosk, the Dallas-based Restaurant Tablet Pioneer, Is Introducing New Tech Solutions |url=https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-ceo/2023/november/ziosk-is-introducing-new-tech-solutions/ |website=DMagazine.com |publisher=D Magazine Partners, Inc. |access-date=19 February 2025 |date=November 8, 2023}} To address this, over a period of years, they developed a tablet with technology allowing guests to pay their bill directly from their table, without the need to summon a waiter and go through the traditional checkout process. It had the added benefit of relieving restaurant staff of low-value tasks and reducing the time they remained at the table.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-17/that-tablet-on-the-restaurant-table-will-make-you-spend-more|title=That Tablet on the Restaurant Table Will Make You Spend More|last=Wong|first=Venessa|date=18 September 2013|work=Bloomberg News|access-date=7 June 2017}} Improving “table-turn” is a proven method for restaurants to boost revenue.{{cite web |title=Table Turnover: What it is and how to improve it |url=https://www.therestauranthq.com/operations/table-turnover/}}

Initially, the interactive tablet, which sits on the diner’s table, enabled guests to reorder drinks, dessert and coffee, and pay the final check, with the waiter taking the orders for the first drinks and main course. Over time, the functionality expanded to include scanning coupons, entertainment, news, and satisfaction surveys providing customer feedback, as well as many other functions.{{cite web |last1=Littman |first1=Julie |title=Chili’s deploys Ziosk pay-at-table tech |url=https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/chilis-ziosk-tabletop-tech-deployment-1100-restaurants/723194/ |website=Restaurantdive.com |publisher=Informa TechTarget |access-date=20 February 2024 |date=August 5, 2024}}

In 2013, a Chili’s restaurant franchisee deployed Ziosk tablets in his 124 outlets. After further testing, Chili’s announced that they would expand use of the tablets to all Chili’s restaurants in 2013-2014. Chili’s parent company, Brinker International, reported revenue increases of 19.8% in the first quarter of fiscal 2015 “primarily driven by the revenues associated with tabletop devices.” It also reported a 0.2% increase in expenses associated with the installation of the devices.{{cite web |last1=Roberts |first1=Wyman T |last2=Perry |first2=Marie L |title=Form 10-Q Brinker International |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/703351/000070335114000026/eat2014092410q1.htm |website=SEC.gov |publisher=UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION |access-date=4 April 2025 |pages=15 |date=November 3, 2014}} In 2015, Ziosk announced partnerships with Olive Garden and Red Robin Burgers, among other restaurants.

By 2017, Ziosk operated an estimated 180,000 tablets in the United States; that year restaurants transacted $8.9 billion using their technology.{{cite web |last1=Luna |first1=Nancy |title=Can tech level the playing field for casual dining? |url=https://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/can-tech-level-the-playing-field-for-casual-dining- |website=NRN.com |publisher=Informa Connect Limited |access-date=4 April 2025 |date=March 19, 2018}} In 2020, Ziosk’s expanded their use to include smaller screen versions and handheld tablets.{{cite web |last1=Wolfe |first1=Anna |title=Ziosk Expands Tech Platform |url=https://hospitalitytech.com/ziosk-expands-tech-platform |website=HospitalityTech.com |publisher=EnsembleIQ |access-date=6 March 2025 |date=October 15, 2020}} During the COVID period, Ziosk saw use of its tablets increase by 30 percent over 2019.{{cite web |last1=Woodward |first1=Kevin |title=Ziosk Responds to Covid’s Impact on Restaurants With More Point-of-Sale Technology Products |url=https://www.digitaltransactions.net/ziosk-responds-to-covids-impact-on-restaurants-with-more-point-of-sale-products/ |website=DigitalTransactions.net |publisher=Boland Hill Media LLC |access-date=20 February 2025 |date=October 19, 2020}} By the end of 2023 Ziosk's 220,00 tablets had processed $11.8 billion in transactions.

File:Ziosk-Tablet-051325 3876.jpg

Ziosk tablet software is built on the Android operating system. The tablets accept contactless payments including P2PE, EMV, and NFC Tap to Pay. In 2023, Ziosk announced a partnership with Microsoft to expand use of Microsoft Azure and explore the use of Fabric (One Lake), Microsoft's unified data analytics platform which integrates Azure-based and other data streams.{{cite web |title=Ziosk Announces Partnership with Microsoft |url=http://www.FSRmagazine.com/industry-news/ziosk-announces-partnership-with-microsoft/ |website=FSR.com |publisher=WTWH Media, LLC |access-date=21 February 2025 |date=November 15, 2023}} The partnership includes machine learning, real-time insights, and predictive analytics to gain insight from guest’s dining experience. As of 2024, in addition to ordering and payment functions, Ziosk tablets and software include customer loyalty programs, games, guest feedback and surveys, data collection and analytics to help restaurants understand customer behavior, dining trends and other metrics.

Ziosk Aurizon: An eight-inch landscape display, table-top tablet for use by restaurant guests to order and pay; signal for a waiter, scan coupons, and engage with entertainment, news, surveys, and perform other functions.{{cite web |title=Building the Future of the Dining Experience |url=https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/solution-briefs/13539-8-ziosk-solution-brief.pdf |website=Intel.com |publisher=Intel, Inc. |access-date=21 February 2025}}

Ziosk zMini: A smaller, portrait display, table-top device, for use on bars and smaller tables.{{cite web |title=The Next Big Thing is the Mini |url=https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/3985521/New%20One%20Pager%20210823/ziosk_onePager_mini_2.0.pdf |publisher=Ziosk |access-date=5 May 2025}}

Ziosk Server Pro: A handheld tablet used by restaurant staff to take and manage customer orders by guest and seat number, deliver receipts electronically, and provide other services.

Drop & Pay: A hand-sized digital check presenter tablet that enables guests to pay their checks, calculate tip, take a satisfaction survey, and perform other tasks.{{cite web |title=PF Chang's Table Drop |url=https://retailresellernews.com/April_29_2024.html |website=retailresellernews.com |publisher=Retail Reseller News |access-date=12 April 2025}}

Some users of Ziosk tablets have questioned the use of cameras on tabletop ordering tablets, citing privacy concerns.{{cite news|last1=Ming|first1=Kurtis|title=Call Kurtis Investigates: Are Restaurant Tablets On The Table Spying On You?|url=http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/11/18/call-kurtis-investigates-are-restaurant-tablets-spying-on-you/|access-date=7 September 2016|publisher=CBS Sacramento|date=18 November 2014}} Ziosk responded to the concerns stating that the company does not save or share information from the camera without permission from the user.{{cite news|last1=Shah|first1=Khushbu|title=Are Restaurants Using Tablets to Spy on Diners?|url=http://www.eater.com/2014/11/20/7254307/restaurants-tablets-spy-diners|access-date=7 September 2016|work=Eater|publisher=Vox Media|date=20 November 2014}} They also noted that a green light near the top of the device will be activated when the camera is active, and that the camera is used specifically to read coupons.

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• {{official website|http://ziosk.com/}}

Category:Tablet computers

Category:Android (operating system) devices