Over pouring can be a huge source of lost profits for a bar. Just an extra 10 to 30% alcohol in a pour could lead to thousands of dollars in lost profits per drink type per month. Unfortunately for bar owners, correcting this problem isn’t simply a matter of training employees. Often, the problem arises when bartenders intentionally make drinks stronger in an effort to earn better tips from employees. Luckily, this problem is fixable by upgrading your point of sale system.

Using Your POS System to Stop Over Pouring in Your Bar

One of the biggest challenges in stopping over pouring is doing it without taking away from your customers’ experience. Devices like spill stops and automatic alcohol dispensers can dramatically decrease over pouring, but when they are used in view of customers, they can give your bar the image of being cheap and possibly make customers feel as if they are being shortchanged. These systems are also not flawless since bartenders are able to circumvent them by pouring directly from the bottle or by making a double pour.

The biggest flaw, other than customer perception, of these systems is that they don’t track total alcohol usage. This is where point of sale systems comes in. A good point of sale system provides easy touch screen options so bartenders can quickly enter each drink type as they make it. This allows you to track not only total revenue, but also gives you a drink by drink break down. There is also little risk of offending customers because they expect to pay for their drinks and won’t think twice about seeing the bartender add them to their tab.

The key is to set clear guidelines for the use of the POS system and enforce them. Bartenders will need to immediately and accurately enter every drink sold. The practice of entering them into the POS system only upon closing the tab should be discouraged because it leads to errors. These records will then allow you to compare the drinks sold against your inventory. If your inventory is diminishing faster than expected, you can then take corrective action.

Stopping Over Pouring in Other Settings

This practice can be extended to hotels, bars, concessions, and virtually any other business. In settings where customer experience is less important, either because drinks aren’t prepared in front of customers or due to a mass production situation like a sports arena, a POS system can be combined with an automatic dispenser. No matter how drinks are served, the same principles of accurate record keeping and inventory tracking can be applied. The location and business setup are also irrelevant because even advanced POS systems are extremely mobile and can be operated from tablet-sized devices. Because of this, no business owner should need to worry about over pouring if they use an advanced POS system.