Managing Open Tabs: No Longer a Hassle

“Can I open a tab?” Five words every bartender wants to hear, as they usually translate into higher sales (which usually translates into higher tips). But managing open tabs can be a headache. So we’re making it way easier for you with our new Open Tickets feature in Square Point of Sale, a simple, easy way to keep track of multiple open tabs.

open tabs picture

No more mentally tallying up the number of drinks ordered or trying to keep track of orders on bits of paper behind the bar. Now when you open a ticket in Square Point of Sale, you swipe the customer’s card to get their name and open a tab. The ticket stays open — and you can add to it — until the customer settles up at the end of the night. No card information is stored in the register and no charges are made on the first swipe, so customers can chose to pay with an alternative card when they want to leave or you can swipe their card again to charge them and close the ticket.

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Mike Coghill is the owner of the family-run Yellow Dog Brewing, a Vancouver-based microbrewery that’s been open less than a year but is already winning awards for its beer. “The Open Tickets feature is perfect for our business,” says Mike. “We used many systems to track open tabs but with the Open Tickets feature, everything is automated and simple and easier for our customers.”

To open a tab, just tap the Open Tickets button in your Square Point of Sale, swipe the credit card and save the name in the system. You can edit tickets, search and sort open orders, and even use your iPad to send new items to a kitchen ticket printer when they’re added to an open ticket. To close the account, tap Tickets, choose the customer’s name and press Charge to swipe their card again to process the payment. It all adds up to more time serving your customers and less time managing their tabs. We’ll drink to that!

For more information about creating and editing open tickets, visit our Support Centre.

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