The part of a bar POS you notice most is the tab. A guest hands over a card, the bartender opens a tab, and the card is pre-authorized so nobody has to run it again for each round. At close the tip goes on and the tab settles. If that takes more than a few taps, people end up three deep at the rail.
So begin there when you test any system, ours included. Open a tab, add four rounds, split it three ways, add a tip, close it. Time it.
What a bar setup needs that a restaurant doesn't
- Pre-auth tabs that hold the card and let staff add rounds without swiping again.
- Modifiers that match how people order. Well, call or top shelf, rocks or neat, one button per drink with the variations underneath. Otherwise you end up with 200 buttons.
- A handheld for the floor, so the patio and the back tables don't wait for someone to walk to the station.
- A pin pad that works offline. If the connection drops, you still need to take cards. Every pin pad we install keeps authorizing cards while the internet is out.
- Tip reports your bartenders can trust at the end of the night.
Pour tracking against inventory is useful, but pricing pages sell it harder than most bars use it. Get tabs and speed right first.
Our Bar & Nightlife kit
It's $2,600 and includes:
- 15.6" station, receipt printer and cash drawer
- Pin pad
- Quantic Lite handheld for the floor
- UniFi gateway and Wi-Fi 7 access point, monitored by us
Install and staff training are included. We set up your menu and modifiers before install day and stay until the first real tabs close.
Software is $99, $199 or $299 a month per location, month to month, and 10% off if you pay yearly. Essentials ($99) already covers tabs, tips and split checks. Move up for online ordering, loyalty or text marketing.
Paying for processing
You have two choices:
- Interchange-plus: wholesale cost plus 0.30% and 10¢ per transaction. You pay list price for hardware.
- Cash discount: guests who pay by card see a 3.99% service fee on the receipt, and cash prices stay as posted. Hardware is half off and software is free for the first 12 months.
In a busy bar where most guests pay by card, the cash-discount option changes the math a lot. Check with your accountant about receipt disclosure before you switch.
Processor pass-through fees run about $34 a month at cost. They're the same on either option.
Time zones
National support lines usually run on Eastern or Pacific hours. Alaska is four hours behind Eastern and one hour behind Pacific all year, and Nome, Bethel and Utqiaġvik keep the same clock as Anchorage. A line that closes at 5 p.m. Pacific is already closed at 4 p.m. here, before most bars get busy.
We're in Anchorage. When you call (907) 290-8555, you reach the people who installed your system. We also monitor your network remotely, so we often see a problem before you do.
If you close for part of the year
Lodge bars and summer-only places can ask about Winter Freeze. We bill software for the seven months you're open and pause it for the other five. Your hardware stays yours, and we turn the licenses back on when you reopen.
Should you look at Toast or Square instead?
If you're in Anchorage, you run your own network and you're comfortable with a multi-year term, Toast is a capable bar system. Before you sign, ask what the hardware costs if you pay cash for it and what the early-termination fee is. If either answer makes you hesitate, the pricing page lists all of our prices.
Want a straight answer for your counter?
Prices are on the page, and a person in Anchorage answers the phone. (907) 290-8555.
See pricing Request a call