Bar Tabs Guests Open by Text — Card Held, No Walkouts

Texting “open a tab” holds a card, keeps the rounds flowing and settles the night — 47 tabs, zero walked tabs, on one Vegas Friday.

Guests open a tab by text — no app, no line, no waving for the bartender. HostBuddy holds a card for every tab, routes each round to the bar, and settles or splits the check in seconds with receipts texted to everyone. On a Friday night one Vegas bar ran 47 tabs with zero walked tabs.

Enable bar tabs — start free   How to enable it from your console →

Watch it happen · 0:38

The full Revenue Maxing episode →

How it works

  1. Guests text the bar from a QR on every table — "open a tab."
  2. The agent sends a card-hold link — the tab opens with a card on file. You set the hold amount and processor.
  3. Rounds land on the tab while the bar keeps pouring — no running cards between pours.
  4. Close-out settles or splits — six ways, tip included, receipts texted to everyone.
HostBuddy console — bar tab settings: card hold amount and processor
One settings panel: who places the hold, how much, and where the money settles.