TableSafe, a five-year-old Seattle-area startup that rebranded from ViableWare last year, builds the RAIL hand-held device that lets restaurant customers self-swipe cards, split checks, and email receipts. The company says the device reduces fraud because servers never handle customers' cards and also enables restaurants to offer discounts, collect comment-card data, and sell specialty items. TableSafe recently upgraded RAIL hardware to include a point-to-point encrypted mag-stripe reader and an EMV-certified chip reader, plus NFC and scanner technology. The startup employs 26 people at its Kirkland office. Management said interest has grown with the approaching EMV deadline, rising security awareness, and new payment methods like Apple Pay. The company raised new capital to fund development of the upgraded RAIL hardware and to capitalize on increased market demand. Viableware develops RAIL, a table-based payment platform designed to look like a traditional restaurant bill while providing an electronic interface for secure payments, tip calculation, and bill splitting. The system supports credit/debit, PayPal, and smartphone payments and protects card data by letting customers swipe themselves without storing unencrypted card information. RAIL is sold as a package including hardware, support, and installation, with pricing from $300 to $550 per month per restaurant location. Currently two Seattle-area restaurants use RAIL, with three more launching next month and a wait list of 1,700 locations across 12 restaurant groups. Viableware targets upscale, leisurely-dining restaurants and positions RAIL to complement waitstaff rather than replace them. The company plans to use the new funding to roll out more RAIL systems nationwide and to expand its sales and technology teams. Viableware’s core product, Rail, is a patent-pending combination of hardware and software that lets patrons self-swipe credit cards at the table, split bills, auto-calculate tips, and email receipts. The system also captures basic surveys and can trigger manager alerts when reviews fall below set standards. Devices are roughly the size of a traditional credit-card book and connect to a base station; a 60-table restaurant would use about 18–20 Rails. Installation takes about half a day, and Viableware works with traditional POS vendors to handle customer interactions. The company charges a $3,000 installation fee plus $345 per month for service, with additional monthly fees for add-on applications. Viableware employs 12 people and outsources much of the hardware build to R&D shop Synapse; the founders are Joe Snell and Andy Pope, with Steve Stoddard serving as president.

Total raised

$12M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series C

Latest activity

Mar 2015