Rail™ Payment Platform Helps Restaurants Mitigate Credit Card Information Theft, Reduce Costs, and Increase Revenue Opportunities

Seattle—Synapse Product Development has partnered with Viableware, a Kirkland, WA based startup, to develop Rail™, an innovative payment platform that enables restaurants to put their point-of-sale system in the hands of the guest. Currently in beta testing at Seattle-area restaurants, Synapse engineers have worked closely with Viableware in the design and production of the wireless digital payment folio that securely communicates with existing point-of-sale systems and Viableware’s datacenter to protect consumers from credit card information theft, while also enabling restaurants to streamline payment processes and generate new advertising revenues.

“One of Synapse’s goals is to help startups turn their ambitious ideas into reality,” remarked Chris Massot, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Synapse. “We leveraged our entire portfolio of internal resources and diverse partner ecosystem to make the Rail system successful for Viableware.”

Viableware’s new Rail technology replicates the look and feel of the bill presentation folder diners are used to seeing delivered to their table at the conclusion of a meal—except it has a touch screen interface that allows bills or bar tabs to be split, tips to be auto-calculated, and receipts to be emailed to customers rather than printed out.

“Proper development of the Rail platform required a deep understand of various technological disciplines and a solid expertise in hardware performance,” said Joe Snell, CEO of Viableware. “That’s why we called on Synapse to partner with us in the development process. They’ve got a history of success and the technological know-how that we knew we would come to rely upon.”

The payment platform integrates with industry leading restaurant POS systems and also offers operators a number of key benefits, including improved wait staff efficiency, new advertising revenue opportunities, and new customer loyalty applications. “Developing a wireless, battery powered device that works with a customized enterprise solution had its share of unique design challenges requiring innovative technological solutions,” Ron Dicklin, Project Manager at Synapse explained. “As we looked at the architecture of the Rail, we noticed quickly that this wasn’t just a wireless embedded device, but a platform which hosted a bigger system. We had to understand not only how the Rail interacted with back-end point-of-sale servers and data centers, but also how the wait staff and customers used the device so security and power requirements were all properly addressed.”

Engaged since the beginning of the project, Synapse’s end-to-end work on the Rail platform has included: architecture design, component selection, security, power management, touch screen integration, RFID, near field communication (NFC), wireless communication, contactless charging, system software, industrial design, mechanical and electrical engineering, manufacturing consulting, and CM selection.

“We were pleased that Viableware approached us with such an innovative and challenging opportunity,” said Craig Hummel, Business Development Manager at Synapse. “We quickly established a great synergy with their leadership team and embraced their vision.”

“Synapse was a true partner throughout the entire process, from concept design to deployment,” said Steve Stoddard, Viableware president. “Without their insight, resources and development expertise, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve the aggressive production schedule we did.”

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About Synapse 

Founded in 2001, Synapse Product Development is headquartered in downtown Seattle, WA with offices in San Francisco and Hong Kong. Synapse’s mechanical, electrical, and software engineers supply essential project management and innovative product design services to a broad range of clients from garage inventors to Fortune 500 companies. At Synapse, we thrive on solving our client’s most challenging problems.
About Viableware

Viableware is a leading provider of restaurant communications solutions. The company designs, builds and sells software and hardware products designed to increase waiter efficiency, provide restaurants with new marketing and communication applications, and eliminate credit card information theft. For more information on Viableware, visit www.viableware.com.