Hooters Restaurants is testing a new "Pay at Table" system allowing customers to pay their tabs without having to hand their credit card to a waitress.

The move is looked upon as a way ease the growing fear of identity theft associated with trusting someone else with your credit card.

The system involves a small credit-card slider device placed at each table. Just slide your card and complete the transaction much like you would do at the grocery store. Hooters has partnered with Ingenico Pay@Table to supply the devices.

Right now, the only restaurant testing this is the Hooters in Downtown Atlanta, GA. Testing started last week. Throughout 2007, Hooters plans to roll this out to all of its restaurants.

I can forsee hundreds of these slider devices getting gooeyed up with sticky buffalo wing sauce.