Tonight, the fam headed to Chili’s. My husband and I were ready to hear the kids fight. We go out to eat a lot and they are always bickering or picking on one another. Tonight – it’s as if we had a magic wand, and all was good in the world.
What was different? At our table at Chili’s there was a little bit of magic sitting on the table. The magic goes by the name of ZIOSK and I LOVE IT.
What is a Ziosk?
A Ziosk is a tabletop, pay-on-demand and digital promotion tabletop device. It’s about 6 inches wide, has a volume control and an array of entertainment options – as well as the ability to pay whenever you want – and not have to wait around for your waiter.
The entertainment options ranged from watching movies previews (it also had the showtimes of when the movie was playing at a local theatre), a game, funny viral videos, menu options, trivia – but my main smiley face – was the Elmo video. My son played it at least 5x.
The kids sat in awe. My husband and I were able to talk. Life was good for our 45 minutes at the restaurant.
Thought was obviously put into this thing. I was impressed to learn the Ziosk features include a tip calculator and the ability to split a check. Both of which always seem to be a pain when paying.
Thru-out our time at Chili’s – I did keep worrying about the kids screwing this magical device up. Looks like Tabletop Media (the creators of Ziosk), had already thought of my troublesome children messing with their business.
The Ziosk isn’t perfect, yet. The trivia was a very simple interface lacking features. The video options were limited. I would of loved to been able to order via the Ziosk. But all-in-all for a device that had been running in the restaurant for 3 weeks – this DRASTICALLY improved our dining experience and our thoughts of Chili’s.
Microsoft Surface Table
Microsoft Surface is a bloated idea compared to the Ziosk. After seeing the youtube video a while back, my husband and I knew we’d have to see one of these puppies in action. During our last outing to Las Vegas, we paid a visit to the ibar to check this baby out.
We had a fun time playing with the options. The system did seem to crash on us a few times though. We were able to order a drink thru the interface, play games, talk to other tables. Overall – it’s a glimpse into the future of how we will utilize technology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP5y7yp06n0
As a Marketer, these devices excite me. These will provide new opportunities to connect and market to individuals – as well as most importantly – enhancing the customer’s experience.
As a Digital Freak, I wish technology would hurry up.
As a Mom, these devices make me smile and realize YAY, THERE IS HOPE WITH KEEPING THE KIDS QUIET AND CIVIL so me and the husband can enjoy eating dinner out.
Long story short – VERY cool technology is ahead. It will change the way we experience things as we know it.
– Digital Mom
