its not rumored, and its not 'cloning' - device is referred to as a skimmer

considering amex reputation for disputing charges, i dont really worry

I would rather pay at the register because it seems i am always waiting for the server

What about one of those table-side tablet things?

I used it in Montreal last month for the first time. I felt it saved time, though I did feel a little strange having the server hover over me while I was entering the tip.

It's been more than two months since the October 1st "deadline" for chip card support. So far I've yet to go to a chip supporting sit-down restaurant in the US with the portable card terminals. One place was pay at the front counter though, which basically works out the same security-wise as pay at the table. Hopefully some of you have had better luck?

Ate lunch at Applebee's Sunday and encountered my first chip-enabled pay-at-the-table machine. It looked very shiny and new. I swiped my card since the one I pulled out of my wallet is the only one of 5 that doesn't have a chip. It's going to take me a while to get used to having receipts sent to my email but I think I'll end up preferring it. No more pocket full of crumpled charge slips.

Was it one of those tablet things that Chili's has at every table or was it something the server brought over? I haven't been to Applebee's in a long time so I don't remember what they have.

It was quite similar to the one at Chili's. It had games. You could order food. You could pay your bill and select the tip by %. There may have been more functionality than that. I want one that rings a bell and brings the server to the table just like you used to be able to do on a flight before stewardesses became flight attendants.

Last I heard the Chili's tablets don't support chip. They're going to replace them with the next version that does though so that they can support Apple Pay too. Perhaps Applebee's already got the newer ones?

My last visit to Chili's was 6-12 months ago. At that time, they did not have a slot for your chipped card.

They still don't at the three Chilis that I frequent in my area. They still use the original Ziosk equipment.

They're not supposed to upgrade until next year from their Apple Pay announcement.

I went to a Chili's with a tablet at the table, and when it was time to pay, the machine automatically put the tip % at 18% including tax. I was mortified that a computer was trying to rip me off, so I reduced it to 10%. And I haven't been back either. Every so often I give this asinine industry another chance and every time they fail. Screw it, I'll just eat at home forever. :mad:

It suggested a particular percentage and let you adjust it down or up as desired. I don't see the problem here, nor why the server should be punished for something that's likely beyond their control*.

* If Chili's is anything like Olive Garden, they probably have or will soon have a corporate policy requiring use of the Ziosks for all card payments.

A couple of our local Uno's have the Ziosks, but most people avoid using them.

Agreed. The Ziosk wasn't trying to "rip off" anyone; it simply puts a big, obvious slider on the screen so you can choose your tip amount, but instead of setting it to 0% it sets it to 18% by default. I don't have a problem with that at all; it's not sneaky or uynderhanded, and I don't even feel that it's coercion, much less an attempt at ripping off the customer, because 18% is the most common percentage used by American restaurant patrons today. I simply adjust it to my preferred level and continue.

I'm a big fan of the Ziosk and any similar equipment that might hit the scene, so I wouldn't have any objection to that policy. In fact, I'd be in favor of it - using the Ziosk for credit and debit transactions not only speeds up the payment process, it also reduces the work load on servers, which gives them more available time to actually serve food, and most importantly, the pay at the table means that you keep your card under your control at all times, just like when you pay for a purchase in a retail establishment.

I'd like to see better options for splitting checks, and of course I'd like to see upgrades to accept chip-based cards, but I can be patient as long as my cards maintain the magnetic strips for backward compatibility.

Why is that, do you think? They're pretty much limited to Chillis in Maryland, so I don't have a lot of exposure to others using or avoiding them.

For me at least, I find them incredibly distracting while actually eating. Maybe if there was a way to turn off the display until it's time to use it, I'd like them a bit better--on my last trip to Olive Garden I put the Ziosk face-down on the table to solve that issue.

I agree and also hate giving up table real estate to one more item I don't need or use but once a visit. I usually set it next to me if I'm seated at a booth.

So apparently there's at least one restaurant (in Miami) that has the European-style portable terminals now. I'm curious to see if anyone else's run into that anywhere else in the US yet. In my experience since the thread was last active, there are still very few restaurants around here that even do chip, let alone portable terminals.

I finally ran into a restaurant with pay at the table in the US today. To be honest, I think I prefer servers just leaving the terminal at the table and picking it up when done. This particular place held the tablet while we were paying, which looked pretty uncomfortable for the server and maybe a bit more awkward than it should have been for the guests. They also didn't bother printing out a paper check and simply brought the tablet when we asked for it; doing the former first probably would have reduced the awkwardness a bit.

Anyone else run into such a restaurant yet in your domestic travels?

There's at least one here, an independent tapas place we've eaten at 3 or 4 times. The manager brings her iPad to the table. You are able to review the bill in detail on the screen first. Then the app has you select a tip% and sign while she pretends to look away. There doesn't seem to be a means of providing a paper or emailed receipt so I am forced to write myself a note on my phone. This whole process is awkward and will have to improve if we are to continue patronizing the restaurant.

That's an online service/app that a lot of independent places user. I have seen it not only at food stands, but also some small stores, too. A cheap alternative to regular credit card agreements. I have seen it at a number of events, too.

Unos has the pay at the table Zooks, as does Friendly's

She might have been wary of leaving something that can be easily stolen and sold with guests. Or even just worried that a guest would drop it and shatter the screen. They really should be using stuff that's more durable for this sort of thing.

What's the service called?

Here in Dubai, there are some instances where the pin is required but the machine cannot be moved because battery is low or something or it's behind a counter at a takeaway place. People will simply tell the pin to the cashier.

On this topic though, I don't really have any preference and I never thought about it until now. I guess from a security standpoint, I do prefer to have it done at the table.

Ro

It may be Square. It's popular in Canada and is apparently also available in the US and a few other countries. There is a small card reader that can be attached to an iPad and customers sign on screen with their finger.

Interesting that there's still places like that over there. I thought that Dubai was one of the countries that did chip and PIN (vs. chip and signature) so they'd have a contingency for that sort of thing.

Square actually started in the US. It's probably why a lot of smaller businesses actually take cards at all, to be honest--credit card processing agreements used to be (and can still be if not careful) a minefield.

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!

I don't feel like they reduce the load on the waitstaff all that much. In my personal experience using the Ziosks they only seem to be mandatory for credit card payment; I've still ordered food and drinks through the server no problem and other people I've eaten with have been able to pay cash the "old" way too. Of course, that might just be the particular locations I've been to.

I generally prefer to pay cash if at all possible as I can just put it on the table (with a small tip) then leave when I want.

I do find it comfortable, when paying with card, if they have a portable terminal that they take to the table. However I also don't mind walking to the cashier if necessary.

In holland it's maybe 50/50 whether they have a portable terminal or not, maybe a bit more common that you have to walk to the cashier.

I would be very uncomfortable if my card were taken out of my sight. I would always walk with them to see how they process the payment. Cards being taken out of my sight never happened to me then again I have never been to the US. Even in Brazil they don't do that though (probably quite logical, no brazilian would trust people taking away their cards, haha).

Agreed - it's the most basic no-no of credit card security if the card is taken out of the cardholder's sight. I'm amazed that, in the US, it's not only permitted but regarded as normal.

Telling the PIN to the cashier would be a basic breach by the cardholder of his agreement with the issuing bank, which breach should, in theory, lead to the bank denying any liability for any fraud subsequently committed on the card.

We used to have the same system in Canada until a few years ago and it seemed normal at the time. But now that I'm used to chip and pin at home, it seems strange when traveling in the US that waiters still take your card away to process out of sight.

At-table payment methods that I'm familiar with are convenient, especially if you are on a schedule or it is busy and you don't want to flag down your server. Not sure about the out of countries machines, though.

That's assuming they work, though. I can't tell you how many problems I have had at Friendly's because the waitress didn't close the check properly, or the machine was low on batteries or had a paper jam, or the Ziosks were at the wrong tables. The way other countries have the waiter carry around one machine seems a better idea, but then there is always an issue waiting for the machine, and since it seems to take longer to process than normal transactions, there is always a hold up.