What Is A Large Tab?

Sometimes you’ll host a large group such as a birthday party, holiday party, or corporate event. If this large group is ordering off of a single tab, they may rack up quite a bill! 

You’re probably thinking this is great news, and it is! But an extra large tab is difficult to manage and could add stress to our backend system. Read this guide for some pro tips on managing those large party tabs, to promote a smooth experience for both your staff and guests. 

Prerequisites

• Pro Tip! When approaching a large party, find the point person in the group and ask them if the party is on one tab, or if separate tabs are needed. This will help you make the best decision for managing this large party’s tab(s). 

Limitations

• If a tab needs to be split up at the end, place no more than 30 orders on it. 

• Large tabs with more than 250 orders, can start to act funny. We’ve seen some dropped payments and lost orders in the past. Cash payment isn’t an issue. 

How It Works

In Arryved Service, you can view the order count on any tab that has more than 10 orders. 

• A tab with over 30 orders shouldn’t be split or merged.

• A tab with over 250 orders may experience issues with credit/debit card payments. 

We have two alternative solutions to help get a split tab on one payment or to avoid a card payment for those extra hefty tabs. 

1. Pay with a ‘Large Party’ House Account

2. Create a ‘Refund’ Item

View The Order Count

1. In Arryved Service, tap on the TAB screen.

2. Tap on the large tab from the list.

3. On the Running Tab Window, view the order count just above the buttons. 

• The count only appears after 10+ orders have been placed. 

Solution 1: Pay With A ‘Large Party’ House Account

This solution involves paying the original tab with a House Account, then, ringing in an Open Item with the original tab amount, for the guest to pay. This method ensures smooth payment because there’s only one order on the tab or on each split tab. Here’s how it works,    

1. Use the Gift Card Tool in Arryved Portal to create a ‘Large Party’ House Account.

• Name the account ‘Large Party’ or something similar. 

• Add a minimum of $3,000 on it, but preferably $10,000. 

• Load it onto a physical gift card by entering the gift card’s number. Or come up with a unique number and keep it in a handy place to be manually entered as payment in Arryved Service. 

2. Create an ‘Open’ Inventory Item and add the OPEN Item Tag to it. 

• Name the Inventory Item ‘Open Item’. 

• Assign an Item Type that’s tax-free.

• The OPEN Item Tag allows you to enter the desired price for the item anytime it’s ordered in Arryved Service. 

3. In Arryved Service, pay the large tab with the ‘Large Party’ House Account. 

• Swipe the pre-loaded gift card or enter the House Account number into the manual gift card payment. 

4. Create a new tab, and order the ‘Open Item’.

• Enter the original tab’s total as the price. 

• If trying to split the large tab, enter the desired amount for one individual’s portion of the tab. Then repeat this step for each individual. 

5. Take payment from the guest for the new tab. 

6. Head back to the Gift Card Tool in Arryved Portal and reload the ‘Large Party’ House Account with the amount of the original tab. 

Solution 2: Create A Refund Item

This solution involves adding an Open Item to the original tab that’s the same price as the total tab and refunding that item. This results in a $0 tab. Then, charge the guest using an Open Item on a new tab. 

1. Create a new Item Type.

• Name it ‘Refund’.

• Assign a 0% Tax Type to it. 

2. Create a new Inventory Item.

• Name it ‘Refund Open Item’.

• Assign the ‘Refund’ Item Type to it.

• Give it the OPEN Item Tag. 

3. In Arryved Service, order the Refund Open Item.

• Order this item on the original tab.

• Enter the original tab’s total as the price of this open item.

4. Tap on the Refund Open Item from the order screen, then tap the Refund button.

• The ‘Enable Returns’ box much be checked in the Venue’s configuration page in Portal, for the Refund button to be available in Service for this Venue.  

5. Tap Send on the order screen.

6. Find this tab that’s now $0, and close it out to Exact Cash.  

7. Create a new tab and order the Refund Open Item again. 

• Enter the original tab’s total as the price of the open item. 

8. Take payment from the guest for this new tab. 

To use this solution for splitting a large tab, determine how much each person wants or needs to pay, and at step 7, create multiple new tabs for each individual guest. Their Open Item will be the amount they want/need to pay. 

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