Bar and pub bills, clear from the first round to the last
Bar bills are rarely simple. A table opens a tab, orders rounds of beer, a few cocktails and some starters, a friend joins halfway, someone orders a bottle, and at the end of the night everyone wants to see exactly what they paid for — usually split several ways. A clear bar bill format, with drinks and food listed separately and every charge explained, keeps that conversation short and friendly.
This bar bill generator gives you a handwritten tab-style bill that looks at home in a pub, lounge, brewery or event bar, while the tool does the adding: quantities, rates, separate tax rows for drinks and food, any cover charge adjustment, discount and tip, with the total in words. Print it, or send it as an image or PDF.
What is a bar bill?
A bar bill — also called a bar tab or check — is the itemised record of everything a guest or table ordered at a bar, presented when they settle up. In many bars the bill starts as a running tab: drinks are added through the evening against a name, table or card, and the bill is closed when the guest leaves. The bill shows each drink and food item with quantity and rate, any taxes and charges, the total and how it was paid.
Bar bill format
- Header: bar or pub name, address, phone, licence details if you display them, and GSTIN for food if registered.
- Bill details: bill number, date, table number, number of guests and the server's name; for a tab, the tab name or number.
- Drinks: each drink with size and quantity — "Draught beer 500 ml × 4", "Old Fashioned × 2", "House red (glass) × 3".
- Food: starters and mains as a separate group.
- Taxes: tax on liquor and tax on food on separate lines — they are different taxes in India.
- Adjustments: happy-hour discount, cover charge adjusted, corkage, and an optional tip line.
- Total and payment: grand total, total in words, payment mode and signature.
Bar bill with GST and VAT: why there are two taxes
In India, alcoholic liquor for human consumption is outside GST. States tax it instead, usually through VAT and excise, at rates that vary from state to state and sometimes by type of drink. Food and soft drinks served at the bar are taxed under GST like any restaurant — commonly 5% for a stand-alone outlet, or 18% inside hotels where rooms cost more than ₹7,500 a night. That is why a bar bill with GST usually has two tax sections: VAT on the liquor and CGST/SGST on the food. In this generator, add a "VAT on liquor" tax row and separate CGST and SGST rows, or make two bills — one for drinks and one for food — if your accountant prefers. Rates differ by state and change from time to time, so confirm them before billing.
How to make a bar bill
- Choose a template. The bar template has table, server and tab fields; the counter slip works for quick bar-counter sales.
- Set up your header with the bar's name and details — saved for next time.
- Add drinks and food with sizes and quantities. Use Add item for each new round.
- Set taxes and adjustments in Bill settings — tax rows, happy-hour discount, cover charge adjustment and tip.
- Download, print or share — a thermal-size PDF for the receipt printer, or an image for a guest who wants it on WhatsApp.
Bar bill example
| Item | Qty | Rate (₹) | Amount (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draught beer 500 ml | 6 | 320 | 1,920 |
| Whisky sour | 2 | 450 | 900 |
| Fresh lime soda | 2 | 120 | 240 |
| Chilli paneer | 1 | 340 | 340 |
| Peri peri fries | 2 | 220 | 440 |
| Subtotal | 3,840 | ||
| Happy hour 20% on beer | − 384 | ||
| Cover charge adjusted | − 1,000 | ||
| Payable | 2,456 | ||
Taxes are left out of this example because liquor VAT varies by state; add your own tax rows. The cover charge collected at the door is shown as an advance and adjusted against the bill — enter it in the "Advance / paid" box so the balance is correct.
Cover charges, happy hours and corkage
- Cover charge: an entry fee, often "fully redeemable" against food and drinks. Record it as an advance on the bill so the guest sees it was adjusted.
- Happy hour: a time-limited discount. Name the discount line clearly ("Happy hour 20% on draught, 5–8 pm") so guests know why prices changed.
- Corkage: a fee for opening and serving a bottle the guest brought, where local rules allow it. Show it as a separate charge line.
- Service charge: in India, under the 2022 consumer protection guidelines, it cannot be added automatically or by default. A voluntary tip should be a separate, clearly labelled line.
Running a tab
For a tab, keep the bill open on your phone through the evening: add each round as it is served, and close it when the guest leaves. The bill is saved in your browser, so it survives a closed tab or a reload. To juggle several open tabs, use Copy share link for each one and keep the links in a note — opening a link brings that tab's bill back exactly as it was. At closing, make sure every tab has been settled and its final bill downloaded.
Splitting a bar bill
Groups often ask for separate bills. You can download the full table bill first, then delete the lines that are not one person's and download that person's bill, repeating for each guest (undo brings the lines back); or keep one bill and write the per-person share in a note — "Split 4 ways: ₹614 each". Downloading the full bill as well keeps your records simple.
Bills for event bars and private parties
Mobile bars at weddings, corporate parties and private events usually bill the host rather than each guest. Write the event name and date on the bill, list drinks by quantity served (or by package — "Open bar, 4 hours, 80 guests"), add bartender and equipment charges, and record the advance paid when the booking was made. The bill then shows the balance due at the end of the event. Licensing for serving alcohol at events differs by state and venue, so check the permits that apply.
Tips for clearer bar bills
- Include the size of every drink — 30 ml, 60 ml, pint, bottle — so rates make sense.
- Group drinks and food; it makes tax lines easier to follow.
- Print the server's name and table number for later queries.
- Name every discount and charge in plain words.
- Number every bill and keep the numbers running.
Pub bill and liquor bill: what guests check first
When guests look at a pub bill, they check three things: that every round on the bill was actually theirs, that the happy-hour price was applied, and how the taxes were worked out. Listing drinks with their sizes, naming discounts in plain words and keeping liquor and food taxes on separate lines answers all three before anyone asks. For a liquor bill from a bar — for example a bottle bought for a table — write the brand, size and number of bottles, not just "liquor", so the guest and your stock records both make sense.
Some guests ask for a bill to submit to their company. Give them the itemised bill exactly as charged, with your bar's name, address and bill number. Many companies do not reimburse alcohol at all, so do not combine drinks into a vague line like "food and beverages" to help a guest get it approved — the bill must describe what was actually sold.
Bills for bartending and hospitality students
Bartending and hotel-management courses often include exercises on writing bar checks: pricing drinks by the peg, applying happy-hour discounts, separating state liquor tax from GST on food, and splitting a table's bill. This generator is a quick way to practise — try different tax rows and discounts and see how the total changes — and to print sample bills for classroom role play.
Bar bill book vs. digital bills
A bar bill book with carbon copies is still used at small bars and event counters, but tabs that run all evening are hard to total by hand, and smudged copies cause end-of-night arguments. The generator keeps the handwritten feel while adding everything accurately and saving a clean copy. It is also handy for bartending and hospitality courses where students practise writing bills and calculating taxes.
Bar bill checklist
Before you hand over or send the bill, a ten-second check catches most mistakes:
- Every drink written with its size and the right quantity.
- Food and drinks grouped, with liquor tax and food GST on separate lines.
- Happy-hour or other discounts named in plain words.
- Cover charge, if collected, shown as already paid.
- No automatic service charge — any tip on a clearly labelled line.
- Table number, server name and bill number on the bill.
Related bill types
A bar that serves full meals can use the restaurant bill; hotel bars may need the hotel bill to charge drinks to a room; and party organisers can use the photography and event bill for their services. See every type on the handwritten bill generator page.
Responsible use
Make bar bills only for real sales at your own bar or event, with the amounts actually charged. Creating a bill for drinks that were never served — for example to claim entertainment expenses — is fraud. Serve alcohol only where you are licensed to, and only to guests of legal drinking age in your state.