
Square Point of Sale
Point-of-sale (POS) systems for bars are software platforms that make it easier for establishments to ring up custom orders, manage tabs, process payments, track inventory, run sales reports, and more. Acting as the digital hub of your business, POS systems can lighten the burden of running a bar while increasing security and transparency.
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Point-of-sale (POS) systems for bars are software platforms that make it easier for establishments to ring up custom orders, manage tabs, process payments, track inventory, run sales reports, and more. Acting as the digital hub of your business, POS systems can lighten the burden of running a bar while increasing security and transparency.
Screenshot of Shopkeep POS dashboard
Here's what we'll cover:
The ideal bar POS system helps keep a check on the food inventory, finances and sales. The system also simplifies their bookkeeping requirements.
Fast and easy preparation of financial statements: The solution offers all the required financial figures, such as profit and loss statements, at the required time, thus, saving a significant amount of manual effort.
These are the features that bar owners should look for when evaluating point of sale systems that meet their specific needs:
Recipe definition and customization | These systems should allow users to customize drink orders, as well as look up drink components from definitions. Users can access a “hotlist” of popular drinks and then modify them on a per-item basis. |
Order entry | The important order entry aspects of these systems include tab transfers, repeat orders and check consolidation. Most features are commonly accessible from the main order-entry dashboard. |
Price scheduling | Multiple menus, specials, happy hours and other promotions need to be easily managed and customized within the system. Rotating prices should automatically change with the system’s internal clock. |
Multi-user compatibility | Since a single terminal is often shared by multiple bartenders, these systems should include integrated login features for users. Card readers, fingerprint scanners or just numerical keypads are some of the popular integrations. |
Tip tracking and payroll | Tips should be linked to user accounts to assist with both end-of-shift payouts and IRS recording purposes. These systems often integrate tip tracking with a time clock module to assist with payroll management. |
Video and security system integration | These solutions often integrate with video surveillance systems to reduce shrink (beverage “sweethearting”) and loss. In addition, it’s becoming increasingly common for systems to integrate directly with bars’ security systems. |
Customer relationship management (CRM) | While not a traditional module within these systems, vendors are now providing CRM functionality as many bars are using social media to promote events and specials, as well as connect with local patrons. Email marketing is one of the more common features. |
Inventory management, ordering and receiving | Bar POS systems will need reporting and management features to manage inventory that moves quickly and fluctuates regularly. Bars will often establish regular shipping schedules with suppliers, so these systems will need to be able to accept automatic shipment notices (ASNs). |
Whether you’re a small neighborhood sports pub, metropolitan wine bar, or full service brewery and taproom with a 50-person staff, there’s a bar POS system for you.
Small bars. If you have a single location, you should be able to get everything you need from a standard bar POS system with basic features such as tab management and payment processing.
Midsize bars. If you operate an expanding business with several serving areas and a high volume of customers, you'll likely benefit from some additional and more advanced bar POS features such as reporting and analytics, a drink database, and inventory management.
Large bars. Operators of larger bars with multiple locations should choose from advanced bar POS options with enterprise level dashboards and analytics, online ordering, and multiple locations management.
Here are a few other things to keep in mind when you evaluate a bar POS system: