Splitting and merging bills and running open tabs in a restaurant

"We are paying separately" is one of the most common sentences at a restaurant table, and one of the slowest moments of the night if your system cannot handle it. Five friends, one bill, three paying MoMo, one cash, one with a card, and someone who only had a Malt. Done with a calculator and the back of the bill, it takes ten minutes and usually comes out wrong by a few cedis.

Here is how to make splits, merges and tabs routine.

Why keep one open bill per table?

The bill should be built as the table orders, not written at the end. Open it when the table sits down, add each dish and drink when it is ordered, and the bill is complete the moment they ask for it.

This matters for more than speed. An open bill means:

• every item reached the kitchen or the bar from the same record,
• nothing is forgotten because it was ordered an hour ago,
• the server cannot "lose" a round of drinks between ordering and paying.

If your servers write orders on paper and the cashier types them up later, the bill and the kitchen work from two different lists, and they will not always agree.

What are the ways to split a bill?

There are three common ways, and a good till handles all three without a calculator.

• AmaGH₵145.00
• KofiGH₵132.00
• EsiGH₵98.00
• YawGH₵105.00

Source: Example figures

Splitting by item is the fairest and the one people ask for most when drinks are uneven. Splitting equally is fastest. Whichever you use, the shares must add up to the bill exactly, and the till should refuse to close the bill until they do.

What about tax on a split bill?

If you are VAT-registered and your prices include tax, each share includes its part of the VAT, NHIL and GETFund. Splitting does not change the tax on the whole bill. It only changes who pays which part. For the tax itself, read tax on restaurant receipts in Ghana.

How do you take part cash and part MoMo?

Take each payment separately and record each one properly. A cash share is counted into the drawer. A MoMo share needs its own transaction ID, written against that payment, so it can be matched to your wallet at the end of the day. A card share is recorded as card.

GH₵480.00

• MoMoGH₵250.00 (52.1%)
• CashGH₵130.00 (27.1%)
• CardGH₵100.00 (20.8%)

Source: Example figures

The common mistake is one MoMo transfer covering two people's shares, or two transfers recorded as one. Ask each MoMo payer to send their own share and read out the transaction ID, then type it in. Our guide on reconciling Mobile Money at the end of the day shows why the ID matters.

When should you merge or move a bill?

Merge when two tables become one group: the friends at table 4 join the friends at table 5 and one person wants to pay for both. Merging puts both orders on one bill, so nothing is retyped and nothing is missed.

Move when a group changes table: they started at the bar and moved to the garden, or you need their table for a bigger group. Moving takes the open bill with them, so the next guests at the old table start clean.

Without merge and move, staff tend to close one bill and type the items again on another. That is where items disappear, and it leaves a void in the record that nobody can explain later.

How do you run open tabs at a bar?

A tab is an open bill that stays open while a customer keeps ordering, usually at the bar, and is paid at the end. Tabs keep the drinks flowing, but they need rules:

1. 1Open the tab under a name and a phone number
2. 2Agree a limit you are comfortable with for people you do not know
3. 3Add every round as it is poured
4. 4Show the running total when the customer asks
5. 5Check all open tabs an hour before closing
6. 6Close every tab before cash-up

A tab that is not closed by the end of the night is a debt. If you allow regulars to settle tomorrow, record it as sales on credit to that customer, so it shows on their balance and does not vanish from the till.

What stops mistakes and tricks with split bills?

Every change to a bill should leave a record, and removing anything should need a manager. Splits are a busy moment, which makes them an easy moment to remove an item "by mistake" and pocket the cash.

• Only managers remove ordered items. A server can add, not take away.
• Read the void list at cash-up. A pattern of removed beers at one server's tables is worth a conversation.
• Print or send the final bill. A customer with a receipt on WhatsApp or paper is your check that the bill matched what they paid.

For the full set of controls, read how to stop theft by waiters and cashiers.

How does MPOS handle bills and tabs?

MPOS keeps an open bill for every table on a live table plan; set the bar up as a table to run tabs there. You can split chosen items off onto a new bill, merge two tables' bills, and move a bill to another table. For equal shares or a fixed amount, take one bill as a split payment, with each part by cash, MoMo with its transaction ID, card or on credit; the bill only closes when the parts add up. Voids and big discounts need a manager, and every one is in the activity log. Receipts print on a thermal printer or go by WhatsApp.

For the rest of a busy night, see running a busy chop bar and the complete guide to running a restaurant in Ghana. To try a split on your own menu, start a free trial.