Slate puts a nicotine kiosk on your wall.
We pay for the kiosk, the stock and the service calls. You get 20% of every sale, paid monthly.
Who is Slate
Slate installs, operates and maintains nicotine kiosks inside local bars. Slate was founded in 2026 in the Chicago suburbs. The first kiosks go in across Chicagoland in 2027.
Evaluate
We come out to the venue and agree on the spot with you, about two feet of wall next to a standard outlet. If it fits, we send you the agreement.
Install
Slate holds the license, handles the permits and carries the insurance. The install takes 3 to 5 hours, and it costs you nothing.
Operate
We choose the products, keep the kiosk stocked, service it and watch it remotely. If anything goes wrong, you call your Slate contact. The kiosk and its paperwork stay Slate's, and you get 20% of every sale, paid monthly.
The demand
49% of young adult bar patrons had used a nicotine or tobacco product in the past month.
A kiosk on the wall means the guests who use nicotine can buy it in your venue instead of leaving to find it.
Tobacco Control, a BMJ journal. Lisha, Jordan and Ling, 2016. Peer crowd affiliation as a segmentation tool for young adult tobacco use (opens in a new tab). 3,366 bar patrons in three California cities, surveyed in 2014. Peer reviewed, open access.
Where
Slate places kiosks across the Chicago suburbs and the collar counties. The City of Chicago is outside the service area.
No kiosks are installed yet. The first installs are planned for 2027, and consultations are open now.
- Illinois
- Boone
- Cook (outside the city limits)
- DeKalb
- DuPage
- Grundy
- Kane
- Kankakee
- Kendall
- Lake
- McHenry
- Will
The venue
The types of venues we look for.
- Bars and taverns
- Sports bars
- Clubs
- Restaurants with a late bar
- Bowling alleys
- Lodges and VFW halls
- Truck stops
- Golf clubs
Venue requirements
Inside the service area
Suburban Cook County or one of the ten counties around it. See the map
An existing liquor license
The venue already serves alcohol.
The kiosk
Two feet wide, under three and a half feet tall, wall-mounted. On the front: a 32-inch portrait touchscreen, a card terminal for tap or insert, and the ID scanner. Gloss black, brushed trim line.
On the front
- 1
32-inch touchscreen The menu of pouches and vapes, and the checkout.
- 2
Pickup door The product drops here.
- 3
Card terminal Tap or insert. No cash.
- 4
ID scanner Reads the birthdate off a state-issued ID. No valid ID, no sale.
Behind the door
- 5
Ten aisles Up to 100 units of pouches and vapes.
- 6
Keyed door Opens for restocking, locked otherwise.
- 7
Stocked by Slate Slate fills it and keeps it filled. The venue never touches the stock.
Bowling alley
Tavern with video gaming
Sports bar
23.6
inches wide
About two feet of wall.
40.5
inches tall
A little under three and a half feet.
32
inch screen
Portrait touchscreen, the menu on the front.
120
volt outlet
One standard outlet, and it is wireless.
Full specifications
Size and mount
- Width, height, depth
- 23.6 in, 40.5 in, 10.2 in
- Weight
- 121 lb
- Mount
- Wall-mounted, flush to the wall
- Install
- 3 to 5 hours
Screen, capacity and stock
- Screen
- 32 in portrait touchscreen
- Aisles
- 10, up to 100 units
- Products
- Vapes & nicotine pouches backed by market research
- Connectivity
- Wireless, with stock and uptime monitored remotely by Slate
Payment and ID
- Payment
- Card terminal, tap and insert, all major networks. No cash, no coins
- Age check
- Scans a state-issued ID and reads the birthdate off the card. Every product is flagged 21+. No valid ID, no sale
- Power
- One standard 120 V outlet, 50 W
- Finish
- Gloss black steel with a brushed metal trim line
The numbers
$5,400
Your share is 20% of gross sales. Slate projects a typical month at $2,250 in pouch and vape sales.
A quieter venue projects closer to $3,600 a year. A busy one, about $7,200.
$0
Slate pays for the kiosk, the stock, the license, the permits, the insurance and every service call.
You provide about two feet of wall and one standard outlet.
Compliance
21 and over only
The kiosk checks ID on every sale.
It scans a state-issued ID and reads the birthdate off the card. Every product is flagged 21+. No valid ID, no sale.
The kiosk goes in a 21+ zone.
21+ venue. The kiosk can go anywhere in the venue.
18+ venue. We can still work with you. The kiosk goes in a 21+ designated zone, the video gaming area for example.
Slate is responsible for licensing.
Slate holds the tobacco license in each local market, pays for it, manages it and carries the liability. We handle the permits.
FAQ
Won't this bring smokers into my bar?
No. The kiosk does not bring anyone in. It keeps people from walking out. Some of the guests at your bar tonight already use nicotine. When they run out they leave for a gas station, and some do not come back. Pouches make no smoke, no vapor and no smell, so nobody is lighting up because of this. A guest who wants a vape simply stops leaving to buy one. The kiosk itself is small and quiet, and it sits where you and Slate agree.
What does this cost me?
Nothing. Slate buys the kiosk, installs it in 3 to 5 hours, fills it, restocks it, fixes it and insures it. We also carry the licensing, the card processing and the age checks. We make our money on what the kiosk sells, and you get 20% of that.
How long does the install take?
3 to 5 hours.
What does the venue actually make?
20% of gross sales on every transaction, paid monthly. Slate projects a typical month at about $2,250 in gross sales, so $450 to you, or about $5,400 a year. Quieter venues project closer to $3,600, busier ones about $7,200.
Who do I call when it jams?
Your Slate contact, the same person every time. Restocking, repairs and anything else with the kiosk are on us, and when it jams we move fast. Your staff do not open it, fill it or touch it.
What am I signing?
A standard five-year term. Slate covers the contract costs, and the venue gives Slate exclusivity on nicotine products.
Where does it go?
On about two feet of wall next to a standard outlet. If you admit guests under 21, it goes in a 21+ area. If the whole venue is 21+, anywhere we agree on. Near the video gaming area is our first choice.
Does my staff have to do anything?
No. The kiosk checks the ID, takes the card and completes the sale. Slate restocks and services it. Nobody behind your bar touches it.
I am a guest. Where can I find one?
Nowhere yet. The first kiosks go in across Chicagoland in 2027, in 21+ venues. Bring a valid state-issued ID, because the kiosk will not sell without one.
When does Slate launch?
Across Chicagoland and the Chicago suburbs in 2027. We are taking venue consultations now.