A bar till is judged on speed at nine o'clock. Preset drink buttons, a round in three taps, tabs that survive a staff change, voids behind a supervisor code and a printer behind the bar that is not queuing behind the kitchen. Published UK EPOS tiers cost from nothing to about 200 pounds a month per site.
What a bar till system does that a shop till does not
Speed and tabs, which is what separates point of sale systems for bars from a shop till. A shop sells a basket and closes it; a bar opens twenty tabs, adds to them out of order and closes them at different times. A system that cannot hold an open tab through a staff change is a system that will lose money on a Saturday. Test that specifically rather than watching a single drink sale in a demo.
Bar till software prices: where the tier line falls in a POS bar system
EPOS system prices for a bar follow the same pattern as any other trade. Entry tiers take payment. Tabs, staff permissions and separate printing are usually a tier up, which is where a bar's monthly figure lands. Stock control on kegs and spirits is often another step again. Price the tier that holds everything you need, not the entry one, because the entry price is what every supplier quotes first.
The bar payment system that comes with the till
Bar EPOS is frequently sold with an integrated terminal, which is genuinely faster at the bar and makes the card rate part of the software contract. Published in-person rates on this shelf run from 0.79% to 1.75%. On a bar's card volume that spread is worth more over a year than the software licence, so ask for the bundled rate in writing.
Questions people ask about bar pos
What does a bar POS system cost in the UK?
Published EPOS tiers run from free to about 200 pounds a month per site. A bar generally needs the tier holding tabs, staff permissions and separate printing, which sits above the entry level.
What should pub till systems be able to do?
Preset drinks, fast rounds, open tabs that survive a staff change, supervisor controlled voids and a bar printer independent of the kitchen. Stock control on kegs is usually a further tier.
Does a bar EPOS system come with the card machine?
Often, and the card rate then rides on the software contract. Ask for that rate in writing and compare it against the published shelf before accepting the bundle.