Bar and lounge POS with liquor on VAT and food on GST

Why a bar bill in India carries two taxes

Alcoholic liquor for human consumption is outside GST. States tax it through VAT, at rates each state sets. Food and non-alcoholic drinks served in a restaurant are taxed under GST, usually at 5%.

So one table that orders a plate of kebabs, a soft drink and two whiskies creates two kinds of tax: GST on the kebabs and the soft drink, VAT on the whiskies. Your POS has to keep them apart on the bill, in the bill numbering and in the reports.

Two bills, or one combined invoice

By default IntelixServe issues two bills for a table that ordered both: a GST bill for food and beverages with your GSTIN and the CGST/SGST split, and a VAT bill for liquor with your TIN and VAT. Each runs on its own bill series.

Prefer one piece of paper? Switch on combined billing and the guest gets a single invoice with the GST block and the VAT block side by side and both registration numbers in the header. On the Standard and Pro plans, the cashier can still issue a separate liquor bill for one table when a guest asks for it.

Discounts and service charge, kept per type

Bars usually hold liquor discounts tighter than food discounts. IntelixServe treats them separately:

• The cashier gives up to three discount percentages on a bill: food, beverages and liquor, each applied only to its own lines.
• The owner can switch discounts off per type, or cap each type, so liquor stops at its own limit.
• Service charge, when you use it, applies to the food and beverage lines only, on separate and combined bills alike.

Your state's VAT rate, set once

Tax rates live in Admin → Settings → Tax rates. A new restaurant starts with GST 5%, GST 18%, Nil and VAT 20%; change the VAT percentage to your state's rate and every liquor dish takes it. A rate change applies to dishes added from then on and to unbilled lines on open tables. Bills already issued keep the rate they were issued with.

Reports that split liquor out

The day closes on the same numbers your accountant asks for:

• Daily report: cash against credit, and food, beverage and liquor sales, discounts and service charge.
• Department-wise report: quantity, tax and amount per category and item, with Indian and imported liquor split out.
• Bill register: every issued bill by number, with edits and back-dated postings flagged.

Built for a floor with a bar counter

Group tables into sections such as AC hall, terrace and bar, exactly as the outlet is laid out. Waiters take orders on Android phones, the counter sees every table live, and a waiter can issue the bill and print it at the table over Bluetooth. Each login works on one phone at a time, so a waiter's login is not passed around the floor.

Questions