You may have some luck in using the ‘saved cart’ function for tabs. At least thats what we used at a past position.
Topic summary
A whisky shop and bar owner is seeking a POS system that integrates with Shopify while supporting full restaurant/bar functionality (tabs, tables, loyalty programs). The business sells bottles both online and in-store, plus drinks by the measure, requiring synchronized inventory management.
Key Challenge:
Shopify POS receives poor reviews for bar/restaurant use and struggles with:
- Open tabs and table management
- Tracking inventory depletion from bundled products (cocktails using multiple ingredients)
- Keeping orders open while continuously adding items
Recommended Workaround:
Use a hybrid approach:
- Shopify POS for bottle sales in the shop
- Dedicated restaurant POS (like Square or Clover) for table/bar service
- Manual inventory transfers by creating a dummy customer (“Mr. Bar”) and “selling” bottles at 100% discount to track stock movement from retail to bar use
- Restrict discount permissions to managers only
Integration Options:
- SKU IQ mentioned for Square-Shopify integration (though limited to Square/TikTok)
- DataLily AI suggested for Clover-Shopify integration with added analytics
- Saved cart function proposed as potential workaround for tabs
Status: Discussion remains open with no definitive solution confirmed by the original poster.