Today we’d like to introduce you to Austen Mulinder.
Austen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began my journey with Ziosk in 2011 after holding the roles of CEO of Fujitsu’s global retail business and executive at Microsoft. It was definitely a new challenge helming an SMU-born startup with only 30 employees on board at the time. Today, there are now 170,000 Ziosk tablets in more than 3,000 restaurants across the U.S. We currently have about 150 people employed at our headquarters in Dallas.
Since joining Ziosk, our team has cultivated the concept of digital payment and menu devices at every table into a profitable business. We provide our technologies in major restaurant chains such as Chili’s, Olive Garden, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, Outback Steakhouse and Margaritaville restaurants. Additionally, we’ve expanded our technologies beyond the restaurant sector and into the entertainment vertical with our partnership with entertainment destination, Main Event.
Constantly evolving, we are continuing to disrupt the restaurant industry with the recent launch of our new tablet, Ziosk AurizonTM. Its latest features include an all-in-one payment slot for card dip and swipe motion as well as a sleeker look with features like larger LED screen and a 30 percent smaller hardware footprint in comparison to the original Ziosk tablet.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In my previous roles, I was used to running very large enterprises. When I got to Ziosk, we didn’t have any enterprise at all – there were only 30 people and not much revenue. Our goal was to come up with a business model that was compelling and essentially didn’t require any budget from the customer.
Along our journey, we found that by putting exciting games on the device and inviting guests to pay-to-play unlimited, there would be a substantial number of interested customers to play and we could arbitrage their payment to effectively make the system free to the restaurant. Our model has remained very similar to date as customers sign up a multi-year, exclusive contract with us and commit to pay a monthly restaurant service fee. We’ve found our method of generating enough shared revenue that shares cover more than their restaurant service fee really works!
Ziosk – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Ziosk is an industry pioneer for restaurants, having founded the tabletop tablet industry, and continues to dominate the tabletop market in the U.S. The original Ziosk technology and newly launched Ziosk AurizonTM next generation tablets, each feature 7-inch and 8-inch devices with encrypted credit card readers (both pictured below). The tablets reside on each table, enabling guests to view and order menu items, play games, read news and entertainment content, and ‘pay on demand’ right at the table’ all of which gives guests control over their dining experience.
Ziosk sets itself apart as a disruptor to the restaurant industry by enabling its partners to digitize their businesses in order to improve the overall customer experience at their locations, grow their businesses and strengthen their position in the industry, all while helping servers earn higher tips.
Additionally, Ziosk has brought tabletop tablets to the mainstream, revolutionizing the casual dining industry to put power back in the hands of guests as it relates to time and control, and reducing friction at both the point of order and payment of the check.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moments have all been related to moments that a team I was part of, led or maybe even built has achieved a long term goal that we knew was a stretch when we set up.
At Ziosk, that moment came when we were live in over 2000 restaurants. We set that goal at a time when not a single restaurant in the world had successfully installed guest facing table top technology. It was audacious to say the least. So many things had to go right. We were told repeatedly it couldn’t be done. At the end of the deployment of Chili’s, Red Robin and Olive Garden when our team met that goal it was an incredible moment. The team took a breath, celebrated, and then hunkered down to focus on hitting 3000. Quite a moment!
Contact Info:
- Address: 12404 Park Central Dr. Suite 350
Dallas, Texas 75251 - Website: www.ziosk.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theziosk/
- Twitter: @Ziosk
Image Credit:
Ziosk
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