With 65,000 Tabletop Tablets Deployed Overall, Ziosk Begins Placing Its Devices at Smokey Bones

Tablet-based point-of-sale technology is moving apace in restaurants. Ziosk LLC, which installs tabletop tablets in eateries, announced this week Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill will install its system in all 65 of its U.S. locations. The rollout is expected to wind up by the end of February.

Dallas-based Ziosk, which claims a 95% share of the nascent tabletop tablet POS market, also said its 65,000 devices deployed in more than 1,250 establishments are running $4 billion in purchase volume on an annual basis. The Dallas-based Chili's Grill & Bar chain of casual restaurants accounts for the majority of the Ziosk installed base.

As with the other deployments, the 7-inch Android-based Ziosk tablets at Smokey Bones will be placed at each table and will allow customers to review the menu and place orders. An attached card reader allows them to pay. The screens can also feature games and advertisements.

“We looked at several tabletop tablet solutions and found Ziosk to be the most comprehensive offering and the only one to meet our security requirements,” said Chris Artinian, president and chief executive of Smokey Bones, in a statement. The devices, he added, bring “pay-at-the-table functionality and a robust slate of offerings for loyalty, entertainment, and social interaction.”

Mobile POS players have targeted restaurants as prime candidates for tablet-based payments. Some, including Ziosk and Harbortouch, are seeking to bring pay-at-table capability to the dining industry.

Smokey Bones, which operates in 16 states, is owned by an affiliate of Boca Raton, Fla.-based Sun Capital Partners, which also owns Boston Market and a number of other restaurant brands.