A bar is busy in short bursts and loses money quietly: a tab forgotten, a round not charged, a bottle missing at the end of the night. A bar management system fixes this by recording every round at the moment it is ordered. Here is how it works for a bar or pub in Kenya.
Tabs by name or seat
Guests rarely pay per round. Open a tab for a guest, a group or a seat, such as "Bar 3" or "Mr Kamau", and add every round to it. Any waiter can add to any open tab. At the end of the night the guest asks for the bill, it is printed with its number and the cashier takes the payment.
A bar screen for the barman
Drinks go to the bar screen as soon as the waiter sends them. The barman sees the table or tab, the drinks and any note, and marks the round ready. The bar login does not see prices and cannot take money.
Bar POS and bar billing
Take M-Pesa, cash, card or a mix on the same bill. The cashier confirms payment, and the sale is complete with a receipt. Split a bill between guests when needed.
Bar stock management
Treat each drink as an item with its own stock: a bottle of beer, a can, a crate, a bottle of spirits. Each sale reduces the stock, low stock is flagged, and a stock take after closing shows what is missing. This is the core of liquor inventory software.
Selling a tot from a bottle is not converted automatically yet. If you sell by tot, set the tot up as its own item and count the bottles you open.
Cash-up every night
Open a till shift with the opening float, and close it with the cash counted. The system shows what it expected, so a difference is visible the same night instead of at month-end.
Pubs and nightclubs
A pub, a sports bar and a nightclub work the same way: tabs, rounds, a bar screen and a cashier. See the guide for a lounge management system for club and shisha spots, and the page for bar management system.
Checklist for a bar
- Tabs by name or seat for every guest.
- A bar screen so rounds are not shouted.
- Stock per drink and a stock take at closing.
- A cashier who confirms payment.
- A till shift closed every night.
An example: a Friday night in Kisumu
A bar in Kisumu opens with a KES 5,000 float in the till and drinks counted on the shelf. By 9 pm there are a dozen open tabs: "Bar 3", "Mr Otieno" and a birthday group. Two waiters add rounds from their phones and every round appears on the barman's screen. When the birthday group leaves, the waiter prints their bill, the cashier taps Paid, picks M-Pesa, enters the code and the receipt is done.
At closing the manager closes the till shift and counts the cash. The system shows what it expected, so a gap is seen that night. A quick stock take of the beer and spirits then shows whether any bottles are missing.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Running a tab in a notebook. Rounds get forgotten and disputes follow.
- Letting the barman take money. Keep payment with the cashier and use the bar login only for rounds.
- Not counting the float. Without an opening float, the cash-up proves nothing.
- Selling tots without a plan. Because a tot is not worked out from the bottle, set it up as its own item and count opened bottles.
- Skipping the stock take after busy nights. That is when losses are largest.
Questions
Can I run a pub and a restaurant together? Yes. Tables and tabs, a kitchen screen and a bar screen all come with the Business package.
Can a guest pay by M-Pesa? Yes. M-Pesa, cash, card or a mix on one bill.
Does the barman see prices? No. The bar login sees rounds without prices.
Can I have two bars? The Business package allows up to 2 branches. See the prices.
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