The basic idea behind the video- and computer-capable tray is to take advantage of a blossoming quick-serve advertising market. By putting the advertising and interactive content into the tray, the Mediox concept is going beyond the large-screen advertising displays that are moving into stores.

“The market for multimedia advertising in fast-food outlets is expected to reach $10 billion by 2012, and our goal is to provide restaurant chains with hardware and flexible content management system to generate additional revenue,” Kyrychynskyi wrote in a press release.

Mediox envisions two distinct markets for its proprietary technology. Large chains, Zhavoronkov says, are conservative and will balk at the idea of showing third-party advertising on the tray inside their restaurants. They will want a custom tray that delivers only their own content. Zhavoronkov reports that Mediox already is working with two large chains.

The major market for generating revenue is the stand-alone quick-serve restaurant not owned by a major chain. These establishments will benefit from the technology upgrade in their stores, and they will generate money from advertising sold on the trays, Zhavoronkov says.

“We will provide [stand-alone restaurants] with options. They can procure the tray for a specific cost and control 100 percent of the advertising revenue, or they can get the trays for free and share a percentage of the advertising revenue,” he says. “Stores will be able to manage advertising content, news, events, and movie previews.”

Mediox expects the trays to cost approximately $50 each. They are working on making the product heat and shock resistant, and Zhavoronkov expects each tray will last about six months. Mediox is still working out exactly how to store, clean and charge the devices inside the restaurant.

One detail that will limit the usability of the more advanced Mediox tray is whether or not the restaurant has access to the internet. Zhavoronkov says they want to be flexible with wireless internet connectivity issues and will work with clients to provide internet access to the trays. Restaurants without internet access can use the trays with preloaded content.

The most advanced feature the startup hopes to offer is a shopping cart option that will allow diners to purchase electronics with the tray. Although the details aren’t finalized yet, Mediox plans to offer electronics in the sub-$100 range for a discounted price.

That revenue model is based on what a European company with a similar name, Medion, has done. Zhavoronkov and Kyrychynskyi discovered Medion during their time at ATI. The company assembles personal computers and sells them in large retail stores—and food stores.

Zhavoronkov saw an opportunity to apply this idea, which gave Medion access to an entirely different market and sold about half a million computers a month, to the quick-serve industry.

Lamson says he knows the tray can work, based on a completed alpha prototype. He is lining up design firms to work on the project and expects, taking possible delays into account, to introduce a product onto the market in the first or second quarter of 2008.

The real challenge, he says, will be to sign up advertisers at the correct stage in the process and start with the right mix of client restaurants in order for the initial product introduction to succeed.

“My experience is that in situations like this it’s very important to get participation of your customer base. We, of course, don’t claim to know everything about this so we hope to learn from food-service establishments how this will integrate best with their business,” Lamson says.