Payments and POS for your new bar or brewery in Miami

Before your first pour, you need a way to run tabs, take tips, and close out a busy night without a line at the register. Here is what to plan for, what to have ready, and what to ask any processor before you sign.

Start the conversation Book a call

What to get right

Tabs that open fast and close cleanly

Most of your sales will run through tabs, not single transactions. Plan for a POS that lets a bartender start a tab with a card, keep it open across rounds, transfer it between bar and table, and split it at the end. Ask how the system handles a customer who walks out without closing, and how pre-authorizations on open tabs are released, so regulars are not left with pending holds on their cards.

Tips that are easy to add and easy to pay out

Bar staff count on tips, and you need them recorded accurately on every ticket. Look for tip prompts on the terminal or the receipt, tip adjustment after the card is run, and reports that break out tips by employee and by shift. That makes payout at close and your payroll records much simpler to keep straight.

Speed when the room fills up

A Miami crowd can arrive all at once, especially on weekends and event nights. Plan for enough terminals at the bar, tap-to-pay for quick card and phone payments, and handhelds if you have a patio, taproom floor, or outdoor seating. Ask what happens if the internet drops mid-rush and whether the system can keep taking payments until it reconnects.

Inventory, to-go sales, and the rest of the business

A brewery may also sell growlers, cans, merchandise, and event tickets, and a bar needs to track pours against what comes in the door. Choose a POS that tracks inventory by item, handles different sizes and pours, and can connect to your accounting tools and an online store if you sell merch or to-go orders. TouchSuite's ERP, CRM, and e-commerce integrations are included at no monthly fee with a TouchSuite merchant account.

How it works

Get your business paperwork in order. Before you apply for a merchant account, have your business entity formed, your EIN from the IRS, a business bank account open, and a government-issued ID for each owner. Your liquor license and local permits are a separate process that depends on the state, the county, and the City of Miami or whichever municipality you are in, so check with those offices early, since that timeline often sets your opening date more than payments do.
Talk through how your bar will actually run. Tell us about your setup: how many stations, whether you run tabs at the bar and tables, whether you have a patio or taproom floor, how you handle tips, and whether you sell to-go or online. If you already process cards elsewhere, send us your most recent processing statement and we will show you, line by line, what you are paying and beat it, or tell you honestly that we cannot.
Apply and choose your equipment. You submit the merchant application with your business and banking details. Together we decide on terminals, POS stations, and handhelds that fit your floor plan. Qualifying merchants receive free terminals and POS hardware, with no upfront cost.
Set up, train, and start taking payments. Once approved, most merchants are processing within 24 to 48 hours. Use that time to load your menu, set up tip and tab settings, add staff logins, and run a few test transactions before opening night so your bartenders are comfortable before the first rush.

Questions to ask a processor

How is your pricing structured, and will I be able to read my statement?

Ask every processor this. TouchSuite uses interchange-plus pricing, which means you pay the card networks' actual cost plus a fixed margin. Whoever you choose, ask them to walk you through a sample statement so you know what each line means before you sign.

Am I locked into a contract?

Some processors require long terms. TouchSuite accounts are month-to-month, and you can cancel anytime with no fees. Whatever you are offered, read the terms on length and cancellation carefully.

Can the system handle tabs, pre-authorizations, and tip adjustments?

For a bar or brewery this is essential. Ask to see how a tab is opened with a card, how tips are added after the fact, how long pre-authorization holds last, and how the system deals with tabs left open at close.

Is there a way to reduce what I pay in processing costs?

A cash discount program is available if you want to eliminate processing cost. Whether it fits depends on your customers and how you want to present pricing, and you should confirm any requirements that apply to how prices are posted. Ask any processor to explain how their program works and what signage or receipt disclosures it requires.

What happens if my internet goes down on a busy night?

Ask whether the terminals or POS can keep accepting cards offline and sync later, what limits apply, and what the risk is if an offline card is later declined. Having a backup plan matters more for a bar than for most businesses, because the busiest hours are when an outage hurts most.

Will the POS work with my accounting, inventory, and online sales?

Ask which tools it connects to and whether there is an extra monthly charge for each. With a TouchSuite merchant account, our ERP, CRM, and e-commerce integrations are included at no monthly fee.

Get your bar's payments sorted before opening night

Tell us how your bar or brewery in Miami will run, and we will help you plan the setup, the application, and the timeline. If you already process cards, send your most recent statement and we will review it line by line.

Book a call

TouchSuite · 800-793-3250 · Month-to-month, cancel anytime, no fees.