Open bar tabs: keep track from the first order to payment

Open tabs let guests combine several orders and pay later. This can simplify a longer visit, but staff must know who owns each tab and what remains unpaid.

Vendion’s bar workflow lets staff open and park tabs before serving the next guest. Saving an order for later is separate from paying or reserving funds.

Make the tab easy to find

Use a consistent method to identify tables or groups. Avoid nearly identical tab names that staff might confuse. Confirm the correct tab before adding another round, especially when guests move from the bar to a table.

Define handovers between sections or staff. A quick review should cover open tabs, partial payments and guests waiting to pay.

Payment, parking and authorisation are different

A parked order remains in the POS for further work. A completed payment has its own payment status. A pre-authorisation, sometimes called a card hold, is another distinct process.

Adyen describes pre-authorisation as authorising an amount, adjusting it where necessary and collecting payment through a final capture step. Authorisations have limited validity. A payment partner offering the technology does not mean it is enabled in every POS installation. Read Adyen’s explanation.

If you want to use card holds for bar tabs, have the provider confirm support, eligible cards, amount limits, terms and failed-payment handling. Explain the arrangement to the guest. Do not assume an open tab can automatically be charged after a guest leaves.

Reconcile before closing

Review open tabs at suitable points throughout the evening rather than waiting until staff are about to leave. Follow up a tab that has remained open unusually long or belongs to a group that has left.

For split bills, make the outstanding balance clear. Check payment status before trying again so uncertain feedback does not cause a duplicate payment. Follow the venue’s normal procedures for refunds and corrections.

Practise exceptions

Have staff rehearse a group moving tables, a drink entered incorrectly and a partial payment leaving a balance. Agree how to handle a guest who believes the bill has already been paid.

Paying per order may suit one part of the bar while tabs suit another. Choose according to the service format and your ability to follow up. Measure unpaid balances and corrections rather than assuming a promised increase in average spend.

See Vendion live and try opening, parking, splitting and closing tabs using your working routine.