Case study · Plugin Promotions
PluginOS
A custom Android-based operating system for the display devices in bars and restaurants, and the app venues use to run them.
- Role
- Designer and developer of PluginOS · Chief Tech Advisor
- Period
- 2025 – Present
- Stack
- AndroidFlutterNode.jsMongoDBAWS
- ~250Venue locations running PluginOS
- 2States served: West Virginia and Pennsylvania
- Full stackOwned in-house, from boot animation to cloud
The problem
Plugin puts display devices in bars and restaurants: kiosks on tables and counters, and TV sticks that drive the venue's TV screens. The hardware shipped with the manufacturer's own operating system, which Plugin could not control: updates, restrictions and third-party services were all decided by someone else.
Running a network of devices across many venues on software you do not own is a business risk. Every dependency is a cost and a possible point of failure.
What I built
PluginOS is one name for two things. The first is the operating system: a lightweight Android-based system I designed and built, installed on the tabletop kiosks and the Plugin TV sticks in place of the vendor's software. Plugin now controls the whole stack, from the boot animation to the content on screen.
- Fleet management for devices spread across venues, with no technician on site.
- Fewer third-party dependencies and lower operating costs.
- A multi-tenant cloud platform behind it, where each venue manages its own screens.
- Payment integrations, analytics pipelines and real-time dashboards.
The PluginOS app
The second is the customer-facing app, on the App Store and Google Play. It is how a venue runs its displays without calling anyone.
- Pair a device by scanning its QR code, then name and organize displays.
- See which displays are online in real time.
- Build image playlists and assign one profile to many devices.
- Schedule content for specific dates and times.
Outcome
PluginOS runs across about 250 venue locations in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, on a platform Plugin fully controls.