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Chili’s replacing paper menus with tabletop Android tablets

Chilis-menu

Chili’s menu is making a huge change. No, the casual bar and grill isn’t getting rid of its baby back ribs, we’re talking about its actual menu. The Brinker International-owned restaurant chain has installed over 45,000 Android-powered tabletop tablets in 823 of its locations. Customers can use these devices to browse the eatery’s menu, place an order, play games and pay your bill.

Provided by Ziosk, these rugged enterprise tablets won’t be competing with Google’s Nexus 7, instead they’ll be helping the company’s Android platform extend its commercial reach. While we like the concept of being able to quickly get in and out of a restaurant during a short lunch break, we’re kind of cringing at the thought of how nasty those touchscreens must feel after placing a few orders, talk about Google grease.

DALLASJune 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Less than eight months after announcing a partnership to bring tabletop tablets to all company-owned restaurants, Ziosk, makers of the world’s first ordering, entertainment and pay-at-the table tablet, and Chili’s® Grill & Bar have completed the largest rollout of tabletop tablets in the U.S., installing more than 45,000 Ziosk tablets in 823 company-owned Chili’s restaurants.

“This rollout marks the first time a restaurant company has installed communal tablets at this scale, and we were able to complete it two months ahead of schedule, bringing up to 6,600 tablets online per day,” said Austen Mulinder, CEO of Ziosk. “We are focused next on installing Ziosk in the remaining franchise-owned Chili’s. By this fall, guests at nearly every Chili’s in the country can place orders, play games and pay their checks from our tabletop tablets.”

Ziosk’s seven-inch tablets empower Chili’s guests to easily browse the menu, order drinks and desserts and quickly pay their checks. Ziosk tablets also feature entertainment, including news fromUSA Today and interactive games like zTrivia, a Ziosk-developed program updated bi-weekly with timely news and events designed to bring family and friends together as they share a meal.

With the Chili’s company-owned rollout, Ziosk now commands 95 percent of the installed tabletop menu, ordering, entertainment and payment market, totaling over 55,000 tablets across 46 states and more than 1,000 restaurants. On average, 80 percent of guests in a Ziosk-enabled restaurant use the tablet, and over 60 percent of credit card users opt to pay their check through Ziosk. Altogether, the communal tablets serve over 20 million guests per month.

Ziosk promotes guest loyalty and engagement by making it simple for diners to interact with the restaurant and share feedback right from their table. Guests who use a Ziosk tablet are 10 times more likely to enroll in a restaurant’s loyalty club and 20 to 30 times more likely to participate in a guest satisfaction survey, giving restaurants even more insights into their customers’ experiences.

“Ziosk has proven to be a strong partner during the rollout process,” said Wyman Roberts, CEO and president of Brinker International and president of Chili’s Grill & Bar. “We’ve just begun to tap into the potential of Ziosk, giving Chili’s guests the ability to take control of their dining experience like never before. Additionally, we’re getting immediate, valuable feedback that helps us improve our performance.”

About Ziosk
Based in Dallas, Ziosk® is the first entertainment, ordering and pay-at-the-table tablet for the casual dining restaurant market. The technology, featuring a 7-inch tablet and encrypted credit card reader, resides on each table and enables guests to see menu items, play games, view news and entertainment, order food and beverages and ‘pay on demand;’ all which gives guests control over their dining experience. With its interactive capabilities, Ziosk and its footprint have created the Ziosk Media Network, a digital media platform for partners to create engaging experiences at the point of purchase. Ziosk is revolutionizing the experience and economics of dining. For more information, please visitwww.ziosk.com.

About Chili’s Grill & Bar
Chili’s® Grill & Bar is the flagship brand of Dallas-based Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT), a recognized leader in casual dining. Chili’s offers a variety of Southwestern-inspired, classic American favorites at more than 1,500 locations in 31 countries and two territories. In addition to Chili’s, Brinker owns and operates Maggiano’s Little Italy®.

At Chili’s, More Life Happens Here® around every table, every day, at every Chili’s across the country. Guests are encouraged to share their stories of More Life Happening at their Chili’s by connecting with the brand on Facebook (http://facebook.com/chilis), Twitter (http://twitter.com/chilis), YouTube (http://youtube.com/chilis) and Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/chilis). For more brand-related information, please visit http://www.chilis.com.

 

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