Digital Tabs: 6 Advantages and How to Use Them

If you're looking to improve service for your customers while also boosting speed and efficiency in your operation, then it's time to start using a digital tab.

In this article, learn how this technology (also known as electronic tabs) works, see the benefits it brings to your bar or restaurant, and also the advantages for your customers. Check it out!

What is a digital tab?

A digital tab is the modern, fast-moving version of that “classic” one, with pen and paper, where the waiter jots down customers' orders and carries them to the kitchen or bar, after which the establishment can keep track of the orders placed.

It can be used by both your staff and your customers — you just need the right equipment.

through a smartphone, tablet or Self-Service Kiosk with an integrated management system, orders are logged easily and accurately and sent straight to production.

How does a digital tab work?

A digital tab for a restaurant or bar works by bringing together tools and devices. A customer or staff member uses a smartphone, tablet, or kiosk to access the software/system and log the order in it.

The order is then automatically sent to the production area, which starts preparing it. At the same time, the price of each item is logged on the tab, ensuring there's no confusion when it's time to pay the bill.

That said, you need to be careful not to make this process too elaborate, with too many different software tools and devices that can end up complicating the use of this technology

The best way to ensure all these moving parts work together seamlessly and efficiently is to rely on a sistema de gestão para restaurante or bar.

It's what manages the communication between tools and ensures everything happens automatically, without you having to log orders or pass them along to the right production area.

6 advantages of digital tabs

The great benefit of having a digital tab at your bar or restaurant is that it lets you improve customer service while, at the same time, streamlining your operation. 

This technology lets you serve more people in less time and gives customers a sense of autonomy as well as speed e Service quality.

Check out six of the main benefits of having a digital tab system below.

1 – Reduce order errors and lost tabs

With tabs on paper, it's very common for orders to get lost, mixed up — with one table's order attributed to another — or even written down incorrectly. 

There's also another common issue: not everyone has legible handwriting, which creates difficulties (and mistakes) when it's time to prepare the order.

None of this happens with a digital tab. The waiter or the customer themselves logs the order on a device that has a standardized menu, prices, and quantities. 
Once the order is finalized, it's automatically assigned to that person/device/table and immediately sent for preparation. This keeps the margin for error to a minimum.

2 – Gain speed in your operation

When there are fewer errors,, your operation becomes faster, more agile, and more reliable. Com a versão eletrônica da comanda, seu bar ou restaurante pode fazer mais atendimentos em menos tempo e ainda agiliza o preparo dos pedidos.

It's simple math: the less time waiters spend jotting down orders on paper and running to the kitchen or bar to send everything to production, the more time they have to serve other customers, take care of the space, and make sure guests are satisfied.

This effect carries over to the kitchen or bar, which also becomes faster, with no backlog of orders. Everything happens more easily, in less time, and with fewer errors when you use a digital tab for your bar or restaurant.

3 – Bring departments together

When implemented in the most recommended and efficient way (which you'll learn more about further down in this post), a digital tab lets your establishment have its operations and management areas integrated.

The result is that there's more efficiency, cost savings, and speed across every process, from the front of house to the kitchen.

This doesn't just make the business run better day to day and give customers a great experience — it also lets you analyze your operation, find areas for improvement and be able to make more strategic decisions.

4 – Track sales in detail and in real time

Another advantage of using electronic tabs is being able to analyze sales in real time. Isso permite um diagnóstico detalhado e ágil de como está a performance do seu estabelecimento.

As with the previous point, this feature brings clarity to your operation and lets you analyze and find ways to boost sales — or spot what's already a hit.

Additionally, this feature helps prevent fraud and financial errors while your restaurant or bar is running.

5 – Improve the customer experience

This one is really a summary of everything we've covered so far. A digital tab makes your customers see much more value and a more modern feel in the service they receive.

It gives customers autonomy and confidence when placing orders and paying the bill. All of this builds customer loyalty and makes them come back more often to your establishment.

6 – Make closing out the register easier

And the best part is that this technology doesn't just benefit your customers — it benefits you too. With an electronic tab, it becomes much easier and faster to close out the registers, check totals, and understand your daily activity at your establishment.

This way you free up more time to handle other matters at your bar/restaurant, or better yet, to rest, spend time with family, study, research the market, and so on.

How do you set up a digital tab?

Now that you know what a digital tab is and the benefits it brings to your establishment, it's time to find out how to adopt it at your restaurant or bar.

1 – Have quality internet

To start, make sure you have quality wireless internet network, able to support multiple connected devices. 

This matters because, whether the tab lives on your establishment's own devices or is available on customers' smartphones, they'll need to be connected to the internet.

2 – Choose the right service format and platform

Then, you need to decide exactly which service format you want to implement and which platform is the best fit for it.

You can choose to provide a digital menu and a tab digital for customers to use on their own devices or on self-service kiosks.

In this case, invest in a platform compatible with mobile device access or, instead, in a quality app with simple and intuitive navigation. This could be the difference between a quality experience and one that will make the customer never come back.

However, if your staff is the one using the tab, the software's usability is not as critical, since employees will be trained to use it. On the other hand, you will have to invest in purchasing devices — such as smartphones or tablets, for example.

3 – Have an Operation Management System

If all this seemed like a headache for you, it's because, truly, the adoption of a digital tab brings challenges, especially regarding technology and its implementation.

The good news is that there are management and automation systems for business operations that allow you to interconnect all areas and tasks of your establishment — even more than just the electronic tabs!

This facilitates the execution of various daily activities in a bar or restaurant, as well as automatically and easily integrate the tabs, the orders placed in them, the kitchen, the POS and even the payment method. 

This way you have even more agility, productivity and profitability with the digital tab.

And speaking of having agility and productivity, keep checking the posts on the EPOC blog to make your business grow more and more. And click here to download our free Technical Sheet Generator for Restaurants and Bars!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a digital tab?

The digital tab is the modern version of the one where the waiter writes down orders with paper and pen, takes them to the kitchen or bar, and then the establishment can track the orders made.

It can be used by both your employees and your customers through a smartphone, tablet, or self-service kiosk that has an integrated management system. Orders are recorded easily and accurately and immediately sent for preparation.

How does a digital tab work?

A customer or attendant uses a smartphone, tablet, or kiosk to record the order. Then, this order is automatically sent to the production department, which starts preparation. At the same time, the prices of the item(s) are recorded in the digital tab, ensuring there is no confusion when paying the bill.

However, care must be taken not to make this process too elaborate and full of different software and devices that could complicate the use of the digital tab. The best solution to ensure these systems work in an integrated and efficient manner is to have a management system for your restaurant or bar.

What are the advantages of an electronic tab system?

The great benefit of having a digital tab in your bar or restaurant is to improve customer service while optimizing your operation. 

You can serve more people in less time and give customers a sense of autonomy as well as speed and quality of service.

The main advantages of an electronic tab are:

– Reduce order errors and loss of tabs
– Gain speed in operations
– Integrate the departments
– Control sales in detail and in real-time
– Improve customer experience
– Facilitate cash register closing

How to create a digital tab

Before implementing a digital tab system, you need to pay attention to some aspects of your restaurant or bar. Some prerequisites help maximize the tool and also avoid possible difficulties. They are:

– Have quality internet that ensures constant connection of devices to the digital tab solution.
– Choose the appropriate service format and platform, such as using a digital menu along with the tab or allowing customers to use the tool or only employees to use it.
– Have an operation management system that allows for the implementation and integration of the digital tab in an easy, efficient, and complete way.