Revel Blog

Top 5 Must-Haves for Bars and Pubs

Kellie Wong | July 7, 2015 |

POS business inventory iPad POS bar Industry Insights kiosk management iPad Point of Sale point-of-sale Menu
Top 5 Must-Haves for Bars and Pubs

The latest industry reports show that bar and nightclub owners continue to enjoy increasing revenue. It’s no surprise, with the markup for alcohol as high as 200% or more. Still, the potential for loss is always present, with spills, overpouring, and free drinks among the challenges that bar owners face. Keep your bar at top performance with the following 5 must-haves:

  1. Inventory control
    According to Partender, the majority of bars fail within the first three years due to shrinkage caused by overpouring, theft, breakage, and more. Keep a close eye on liquor, beer, and wine inventory with the likes of Revel’s Ingredient Inventory Management, where you can account for every product down to the drop in real time. This includes calculating shrinkage for theft detection.
  2. Advanced menu display
    Rather than cranking out your bar menu on a chalkboard, switch to an advanced digital menu display system that can accurately spotlight your current beverage list, from the name, style, and color of the alcohol to the type of glassware it’s served in. And don’t forget, what’s on the menu matters most. According to Food Service Warehouse, creating a signature drink is important to developing a unique vibe and identity for your bar, and putting your own spin on your drink menu gives customers a special reason to visit your bar instead of the one down the street.
  3. Bar tab tracking
    Bars get crowded on busy nights, meaning multiple tabs to monitor and close. Don’t let any of them fall through the cracks! With Revel’s Bar Tab Management, your servers can quickly locate bar tabs by customer name, pull up a tab by swiping a credit card, and hold a specific amount on a customer’s card before the bill is settled. At the end of the night, find out which cocktail or draft beer sold best or worst using Intelligent Reporting.
  4. Check management
    Large groups often come in for happy hour, and they don’t always purchase drinks in rounds. To save time and add value to your customers’ experience, your payment system should include a way to easily split the tab by a number of configurations, from dividing the bill evenly to entering manual payment amounts, including tips.
  5. Kiosk ordering
    Self-service kiosks keep lines shorter and help customers get their drinks faster. Research shows that today’s customers can’t resist a smart touch screen. Self-service kiosks may feature everything from order suggestions to games while they wait for their order to arrive.

Running a successful bar is no easy feat, but with the benefit of streamlined technology, your bar can maintain a competitive edge, efficiently serve customers, and consistently lean toward profitability. Stay on track with the five must haves. Let Revel's Bar iPad POS, specifically designed according to bar and pub needs, help you grow your business.