How to pick a bar inventory solution without buying a second job
Buyers searching for bar inventory solutions are rarely shopping a feature list. They are trying to stop a leak they can feel: over-pours that never hit the POS, a Sunday count that still is not done at midnight, or a pour cost number nobody trusts. The right solution is the one your closer will finish every week, tied to sales from Toast, Square, Clover, or GoTab, with variance priced in dollars you can coach from on Monday.
Start by naming the job. Counting speed, poured versus sold, pour cost, invoice cost, multi-location rollup, and AI briefs are different jobs. ExactPour packages them on one beverage platform so you are not stacking a scanner app, a spreadsheet, and a BI login. Published pricing starts free on a single location, with paid plans from $59/mo. New accounts get one 14-day Pro trial. Nothing is charged unless you add a payment method. That commercial shape matches how independent bars actually approve software.
The research page cites National Restaurant Association figures on 2025 profitability and food costs still above pre-2020 levels. Beverage is often the highest-margin room and the least measured. A clipboard does not show which bottle moved. Ask for barcode identity, fill levels on open bottles, and variance in dollars.