Originally Posted by
jeebus
I recently used a Ziosk for the first time at a Red Robin (in fact, Samsung Pay was running a promotion to use them). I agree with others that it's awkward to have it taking up table space, but functionally it worked great. The options to call the server or add additional items to your meal were nice to have. However, it would be nice if there was a way to hide it until needed.
In the US I've seen pay-at-the-table devices at Red Robin, Chili's, and Uno. I definitely like the ability to review the bill and pay at the table without going through traditional dance of waiting for (or having to ask for) the bill, waiting for the server to pick up my credit card, waiting for the card to come back after processing (and wondering who's doing what with it during that time), then signing the receipt and leaving it on the table.
That said, I've noticed a few drawbacks with these devices. One, in some cases they're distracting because they flash advertisements constantly and can't be disabled. Two, at small tables they can take up too much space. And Three, as these devices reduce the number of visits servers have to make to each table on average, some restaurant managers seem to overcompensate by reducing the number of wait staff too sharply. Having a "Call server" button to press is no good if it still takes 5+ minutes for the server to respond because s/he's overloaded with work!