Money behind the bar for the leaving do
A company books the back room for a leaving do and puts a sum behind the bar. The organiser says house wine, beer and soft drinks, no spirits, and let me know when it gets close. On the night, three members of staff serve the party. One puts a round of doubles on the tab because the guest said it was fine. Nobody is watching the total. At ten, the tab is well over, and the organiser has gone home.
The next day the organiser disputes the bill. They said no spirits and wanted a call before the limit. You have a till tab with a long list of drinks and no easy way to show what was agreed.
Why party tabs go wrong
The agreement is made with one person, usually by phone or at the bar, and it lives in the head of whoever took it. The staff who actually serve the party have no view of the rules, the limit or the balance, only a tab name on the till.
Most EPOS systems let you open a tab but not set rules on it: which drinks are included, what the limit is, or who to alert when it is close. So the rules are remembered, or not, by busy people serving a crowd.
Party guests also mix with other customers. Someone who is not part of the party says they are with the birthday and orders on the tab, and staff who do not know the group have no way to check, so the host ends up paying for strangers' rounds.
The cost of a disputed party tab
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| Limit not tracked | Tab goes over and the extra is disputed |
| Excluded drinks added | Arguments about what was agreed |
| Non-guests added to the tab | Host pays for strangers' drinks |
| No written agreement | No evidence when the bill is questioned |
| Host not alerted | Chance to top up or close the tab lost |
Party hosts are often future function bookings. A tab that ends in a dispute is a customer lost, and often a group of their friends as well.
Pre-paid party tabs with rules
- When a host sets up a tab, the agreement is recorded: the amount, the drinks included, any exclusions such as spirits or doubles, and a contact number. The host receives it by email.
- The amount is taken up front through a Stripe link or card at the bar, or pre-authorised, as you prefer.
- The tab appears in your EPOS with its rules. Where your EPOS supports it, excluded items are blocked on the tab. Where it does not, staff see a clear prompt.
- A small screen or the till shows the live balance, so any staff member serving the party can see how much is left.
- When the balance reaches a level you set, the host gets a text asking whether to top up, close or switch to paying for their own.
- At the end, the host receives an itemised receipt with the rules they agreed, and any balance is handled as your terms say.
The terms of party tabs, including what happens to any balance, are yours to decide. We make sure the host sees them in writing.
The next leaving do
The organiser agrees the tab on the phone. A confirmation email goes out with the amount and no spirits. They pay by link. On the night, the tab on the till shows its balance, and the till blocks a double gin. As it gets close, the organiser gets a text and tops it up from their phone. The next morning, they have an itemised receipt and no questions.
- Tab rules agreed in writing
- A live balance every server can see
- The host alerted before the limit
- An itemised receipt that settles questions
Do your party tabs end like this?
- Party tabs regularly go over the agreed amount.
- Staff serve drinks the host did not include.
- Hosts have disputed a tab the next day.
- The tab agreement is not written down.
- Nobody watches the balance during the party.