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Bar POS Singapore: Open Tabs, Fast Rounds, One Bill (2026)
A bar lives and dies on speed and tabs. Customers want to open a tab, order rounds all night, and settle one clean bill at the end — without the bartender losing track. Here's how to choose a bar POS in Singapore that does exactly that, on hardware you already own.
Open a tab without the friction
The heart of a bar POS is the open tab. With Shopways, every bar seat or table is a running tab: open it, and drinks keep adding to the same bill all evening. Pull it up anytime to add a round, and when the group is done, settle once. Name your seats however you work — Bar 1, Booth 3, Tab A — and lay them out on a visual floor plan so any bartender can find a tab in a second.
Fire rounds fast
At peak, every second at the till is a longer queue at the bar. Big product buttons, categories and search get a round in fast; one-tap modifiers handle single / double, mixers and garnishes without digging through menus. Each round fires to a live order board so whoever is pouring sees exactly what is next — no shouted orders, no scribbled chits.
Service charge and GST, handled
For a sit-down bar, the 10% service charge applies automatically in dine-in mode and 9% GST is itemised correctly on the bill — split cleanly, not lumped together. More on the tax side in our F&B POS guide.
Settle clean — one bill, low fees
When the tab closes, every round consolidates into a single receipt. Take payment by PayNow & SGQR (cheaper than card rails), card or cash. Every tab is logged, and if a drink was rung wrong, void it — stock and any loyalty stamp reverse cleanly, so your numbers stay honest.
What to look for in a bar POS
| Need | Why it matters for a bar |
|---|---|
| Open tabs | Run a tab per seat or group, add rounds all night, one bill at the end. |
| Fast rounds & modifiers | Single/double, mixers and garnishes in one tap at peak. |
| Service charge + GST | 10% SC and 9% GST handled and itemised on dine-in bills. |
| PayNow & SGQR | Keep payment fees low versus cards. |
| Clean voids | Fix mistakes with stock + loyalty reversal and an audit trail. |
| Runs on an iPad | No bulky terminal hogging the back bar. |
How Shopways fits
Shopways runs a bar from one iPad on a flat S$88/month — table service mode turns every seat into an open tab, rounds fire to a live board, and service charge and GST resolve to one clean bill. It is PayNow-friendly, works offline if the Wi-Fi drops, and has built-in cost tracking so you can see the margin on every pour. One honest note: tabs are held against a seat or named table, and Shopways settles by PayNow/SGQR, card or cash rather than pre-authorising a card on file.
FAQ
Can I run open tabs on Shopways? Yes — open a tab on any bar seat or named table, add rounds through the night, and settle one consolidated bill at the end.
Does it handle service charge and GST? In dine-in mode the 10% service charge applies automatically and 9% GST is itemised correctly on the bill.
Can customers keep a card on file? No — Shopways settles by PayNow/SGQR, card or cash. A tab is held against a seat or named table, not a pre-authorised card.
Is it only for bars? No — the same iPad runs full table service for restaurants and bistros, and switches to quick service for counters. See our F&B POS guide.
The sleek iPad POS for Singapore cafés
iPad POS, web admin, and a live order board — from S$88/month.
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