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Ziosk doc
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Incorporating Technology with
Dining
Tabletop Interactive Computers in
Restaurants
10/2/2012
2. Incorporating Technology with Dining
Then & Now
When was the last time you went into a restaurant and did not see any TV’s, computers,
or touchscreen cash registers? In today’s age, things move at an incredibly fast pace. People
don’t want to wait around. What is here and now, and how long is it going to be around? These
questions impact all technological trends. An up-and-coming trend that can be found in several
major restaurant franchises today are all located on a small tabletop interactive computer called
the Ziosk (among other names).
Let us take a quick look back on restaurant service. Restaurants have been dated back
thousands of years. Experts can argue where and exactly when they started, but we’ll leave that
to them. The service in restaurants has drastically changed from 1940 to present time. Going out
used to be a social event. People could tell how rich you were, or where you came from by where
you went for dinner. Going out to eat was possibly America’s favorite past-time, besides
baseball. People most certainly did not sit down, scarf down their meal, and then leave. They had
cocktails, told stories, and had after-dinner cigarettes. It was more of a production than just a
meal.
In today’s fast-moving environment, people want to be in and out fast. They want quality
restaurant service, but they also want the wow factor- something that will grab their attention to
keep them coming back for more. As much as we need servers, and they have always been an
important part of the restaurant experience, could it possibly be time to start seeing servers
fading out and being replaced by something else? Perhaps it is. Pay-at-the-table electronic
systems are the latest attraction at major casual dining franchises.
Pay-at-the-table electronic systems are paving the way for a new kind of food service,
one without personal interaction. They are marketing these systems to a wide variety of people.
First, there’s the business man who is sick of waiting for his server to bring his check. He’d
rather swipe his card, add the tip, and leave without having to play the waiting game. The device
is marketing toward families who have multiple kids, and want to keep them occupied while
“Mom” and “Dad” try to have a relaxing meal. It is a small step towards eliminating wait staff,
but it may not be too far off if this trend continues. We could end up seeing a restaurant system
with just a few staff members to bring out drinks and food, and everything else technology-
based. It would save restaurants thousands of dollars, considering they don’t have to pay so
many people the minimum wage, which is always on the rise, and it would eliminate scheduling
issues within employment.
These days, when people walk into a restaurant and sit down, they immediately take out
their phones. They play around on them until their food arrives. Well, what is happening is that
restaurants have found out how to use this to their advantage. If the restaurants are not in the
communication network, they miss out on promotional advantages. Now, with the tabletop
devices, the restaurants can be part of technology craze. If this trend catches on to all restaurants,
it can open new doors to other advantageous promotional opportunities, such as selling add space
in the tablets, or as a customer checks out, they see a huge piece of decadent chocolate cake, and
now the customer wants to spend more money. It is a win-win situation if the consumers want it,
and so the restaurants can use it to be innovative and keep their revenue up higher than ever.
Numbers, Figures, and Experience
Chili's Grill & Bar, Applebee's, and Chevys Fresh Mex are among the first franchises to
use the small, interactive computer screen at diners’ tables. Chili’s has the device, known as the
Ziosk, at more than one-hundred of its restaurants. Applebee’s is still in a testing stage of the
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Ziosk or Presto, and in some areas, a device called eTab, which prompts customers to order
another round of drinks every so often. Even a sports bar in St. Louis has incorporated the touch-
screen device into its business. For a monthly fee, casual dining facilities are paving the way
towards the next best convenience factor in a technology-based world. Even high end restaurants
have use for tabletop devices.
In research, it’s been found that fifty-two percent of diners would use an electronic
payment system. 31% are likely to use screens with games or Internet access (Technomic Inc.,
National Restaurant Association). The devices have also been able to get dessert orders up by
30% by showing glossy photos twenty minutes after the wait staff walks away from the table.
The promotional photos and information supported by the device are what really makes the
Ziosk, or like devices, attractive to restaurants. Even tipping has increased, thanks to
predetermined amounts given on the screen when paying the bill.
As the first franchise to roll out the touchscreen device, Ziosk, in its restaurants, Chili’s
main concern going in was the fear of less interaction between wait staff and customer.
However, after going nationwide, it’s been proven that there is still the same amount of
interaction before, just without the hassle of dealing with the bill. The Ziosk does not include
Chili’s full menu, just drinks and desserts. So the wait staff still has plenty to do. After the wait
staff takes the dinner orders, customers can enjoy a nice range of activities to consume wait time.
Kids can play videogames (free or low-cost) or watch cartoons. The adults can play trivia games,
read USA Today, and even watch movie trailers (and see what’s playing near-by). The wait staff
has noticed that a lot of the time, when the food comes out, the Ziosk disappears from the table,
so the parents can engage in conversation with their children while enjoying their food. Chili’s
also has taken note that it’s easier to explain the Ziosk with the screen facing the wait staff, as
there won’t be the distraction of the lights and colors (kids like lights and colors, after all).
For the most part, Chili’s is clearly doing something right. With their table-turn times down, tips
up, and promotional advertising on the device being effective in consumerism, the franchise will
keep its revenue increasing, and will keep ahead of the curve of casual dining. The franchise
must make sure to keep the wait staff on their toes, however. The Ziosk, and like products, is not
necessarily meant to replace them, just enhance their job. The wait staff needs to make sure that
they still know what working in the hospitality field means: keeping the customer happy through
face-to-face interaction, not just through a machine. Otherwise, employment might end up
decreasing. That is the downfall of technology. The more knowledge we have on technology, the
less we are needed to do certain jobs.
Texas Roadhouse tested the Ziosk to see if they would incorporate the device in their
business. The wait staff found the device troublesome with having to charge the battery and it
taking up space on an already busy tabletop, even with table-turn times decreasing slightly.
Texas Roadhouse decided not to use the device, which is a mistake. Restaurants need to get
behind ways to increase sales and lower costs that can be lowered. Battery-life of the Ziosk
typically lasts for 18 hours, which means it should last an entire workday without needing a
recharge- unless it is defective. Also, the screens can be taken by the wait staff at any time to
increase tabletop space. If the owner of Texas Roadhouse had really seen the potential of the
Ziosk, he wouldn’t have decided not to offer the product in the restaurant.
As important of a product that this is for the hospitality industry, it can be used in many
different work fields. As the Ziosk, and like products, includes promotional tools, any business
can pay the device maker to promote coupons, sales, and specific products. Device makers are
actually planning on making liquor companies pay a fee for advertisements and coupons,
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especially since they coincide with the host restaurant’s drink menu. And retail companies, like
Wal-Mart, can pay a fee to promote any sales items. All businesses should take advantage of the
promotional tools of these interactive computer screens to increase revenue in their businesses,
not just business in the hospitality field. Anyone can take part in this new-age technological
advancement.
Expert Opinion
To get expertise input, we talked to an Applebee’s restaurant manager, Bradley Bohndas,
who is the assistant manager at the Menomonie, Wisconsin location. He is currently a student at
University of Wisconsin-Stout. The first thing we talked about was clientele. We wanted to know
who eats at this Applebee’s. According to Bohndas, Applebee’s clientele at this location is
mostly businessmen coming off of interstate 90. They stop in order to get off the road, and take a
break. The restaurant also gets a significant amount of families from the surrounding areas, and
of course, students. They like to keep their food moderately priced, and it is considered casual
dining. Bohndas considered it to be “like a local friendly pub, with slightly upscale food.”
We then discussed whether Mr. Bohndas had heard about the hype of the Ziosk device,
and if he had any opinion on it at all. Currently, this location does not offer the product, or any
like product. Bohndas told me he had eaten at a Chili’s before where they had had a Ziosk. He
thought it was “different.” He said he could see how it “could relieve servers and make their jobs
easier.” He also thought it was good for promoting many various food options and games to keep
customers “occupied.” We asked him if he considers this location of Applebee’s behind now
because competitors such as Chili’s and Chevy’s Fresh Mex are already using the Ziosk stations.
Bradley told us we’re “always behind.” Even though Chili’s may have caught onto this
technology first, “there is always a possibility it will not catch on, or it will eventually become
extinct.”
We asked Mr. Bohndas if he knew about the possibility of Applebee’s adding Ziosks, or
a similar product. We wanted to know what kind of implications it could mean to his business,
such as training employees how to use it, or possibly having to hire a technology specialist in
case the system were to crash or have any other difficulties. We also asked if the payoff was
worth the work, taking this region into thought. Bohndas said that “every time you get new
systems in the workplace, you’re going to have to make time to train employees.” You always
have to be willing to “change with the times, and adapt to what corporate is doing.” This region
area may not be the best place for this kind of technology, but if it is as big as we think it will be,
we would be making a poor decision not to invest time, money, and workers into it.
Having said all of the above, we can now fully see from different aspects that this trend is
definitely in mid-hype. But, what could possibly happen in the future? Imagine a dining
experience where one walks into the restaurant, and there is no one to be greeted by. One sits
down, electronic menus waiting on the table for usage. He or she has a question, but who does he
or she ask if there happens to be any peanuts, or other allergens, in that entrée? He or she orders
by selecting food, beverage, and dessert on the tabletop device. Then he or she sits back, relaxes,
and watches some TV, or play available games on the electronically integrated table. He or she
eats the meal, which is shoved out of a shoot or tube, and then you swipe your credit card.
Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it?
Unfortunately as much as this trend will save businessmen money, and maybe the
businesses are giving the consumer what they are asking for, but perhaps it’s getting a little too
out of hand. Having servers around, and enjoying human interaction, is what the dining
experience should be all about. This is the hospitality business, after all. Now, it almost seems
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that we’re not going to be able to run away from technology. It’s getting shoved down our
children’s throats every day. And if you think our generation had it bad, wait for the next
generation. If we’re socially damaged by electronics now, we may not have seen the worst of it
yet. One may think that touchscreen tablets at the dinner table couldn’t possibly change dining
experiences forever. One could very well be correct’ this could simply be a fad, and there would
be no further worries. However, if this trend ends up worldwide, it’s going to affect more than
just our dining. It’s like the butterfly effect, with one flap of the wings, everything has an
outcome that further affects that outcome. For example, from notebooks, to computers, to laptops
to tablets: where is the dinner tablet going to start being the norm? And when does the social
norm become having our faces glued to computer screens everywhere we go?
The advantages to simply integrate the restaurant experience with technology can be a
great idea, but it could also very well help set industry standards on food production, food, and
personal hygiene factors (the number one reason for food illness). It can keep people on the go,
and help fuel up a hungry, constantly changing nation. The great thing about investing in the
restaurant business is that people always will need to eat, so it’s a solid bet to invest in these
changes, but don’t let this fool you, fads in restaurants can come and go just as the various
flavors of ketchup did. The business will always be evolving. It’s up to us to keep track of what
will be cost-effective, and help with the economy to promote a unified decision in “keeping up
with the times.”
The disadvantages, or the negative outlook, on this trend may be more of societal values
than anything else. We are losing the “great American dining experience” where our wait staff
makes us feel important, and we have someone to chit-chat with if dining alone. Who can answer
our questions, and make everything better when things go wrong? And things do go wrong. If
this trend sits down with the industry, millions of workers could be jobless, raising the nation’s
unemployment rate astronomically. This trend could be a new way of dining, and not necessarily
a bad way, but to what extent? The social norm is changing, and we have to keep up. However,
the world could become quite cold to our next generations as we are greeted by robots with
interactive games processed in, instead of a warm smile that seats us at an available table. With
trends, we must always see from two points of view. Things are never black and white anymore.
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References
Bohndas, Bradley. Applebee’s Assistant Manager. Menomonie, WI. Interview took place on
October 1, 2012.
Liddle, Alan J. The magic touch: Restaurants embrace operational, marketing benefits of self-
service tech. Nation’s Restaurant New. http://nrn.com/article/magic-touch#ixzz286LH5zdq.
August 8, 2011.
Lowrey, Lauren. Chili’s lets patrons pay, play at table: Chain first to have touch screens at
table. http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/business/chilis-lets-patrons-pay-play-at-table.
September 30, 2011.
Murano, Peter S. Understanding Food Science and Technology. Copyright 2003.
Nassauer, Sarah. Screens Get a Place at the Table: Restaurants Try to Make It Easier to Pay,
Keep Kids Entertained; Bigger Tips for Electronic Waiters?. The Wall Street Journal.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303552104577436233174389816.html?mod=I
TP_personaljournal_0. May 30, 2012.
Tabletop Media. www.ziosk.com. Retrieved on September 28, 2012.
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