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Where tabs go wrong
Most tab disasters trace back to the same three gaps: no card or pre-authorisation held when the tab opens, drinks rung to the wrong tab during the rush, and one payment method at close for a group that wants to split four ways.
Open tabs properly
Set a house rule: every tab opens with a name and a card. Modern POS systems can hold the card digitally against the tab, so there's no physical card in a glass behind the bar — nothing to lose, nothing to hand back to the wrong person.
Keep tabs accurate during service
- Name tabs by customer, not by table — bar customers move.
- Ring drinks to the tab at pour time, not from memory at close.
- Set a tab limit and let the POS prompt when a tab approaches it, so the conversation happens at $180, not $500.
Close without the argument
Split billing is where end-of-night goodwill dies. A POS that splits a tab by item or by share in a couple of taps turns a ten-minute negotiation into a thirty-second job — and every split is itemised, so nobody feels stung.
The Payflo approach
Payflo was built for exactly this: named tabs, tab limits, and split bills in two taps on the terminal, with payments integrated so the tab and the transaction always match. Merchant fees start from 1.1% depending on volume, with no lock-in contracts.
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