Managing Bar Expenses Just Got Easier with Openfloat

Running a successful bar is a delicate balance; part creative energy, part operational rigor. You need the right drinks on the shelf, the right people behind the bar, and above all, tight control over how money flows in and out of the business. But if you're like many bar owners, you know that managing expenses is often the least visible, most painful part of running a hospitality business. 

Cash float shortfalls, delayed supplier payments and unreliable paper trails. 

These are more than just daily frustrations; they directly impact profitability, team productivity, and vendor relationships. 

That’s why more bars across Kenya are switching to Openfloat, a digital float solution designed to help you spend smarter, stay in control, and grow faster. 

The Hidden Cost of Disconnected Expense Management 

If your bar still uses cash floats and manual reimbursements, you’re probably facing at least one of these challenges: 

• Poor visibility into daily spend: You don’t know where money is going until long after it’s spent. 

• Late payments to suppliers: You rely on a single finance person (or owner) to approve disbursements. 

• Your bar managers are frustrated: They waste time chasing float, receipts, or approvals. 

• You run out of stock at peak hours –Settlement takes too long to settle in your bank, delaying restocks.  

It adds up. Even small inefficiencies compound quickly in the bar and hospitality world, especially when you operate across multiple branches or rely on just-in-time stock from vendors. 

Openfloat: Built to Fit the Way Bars Actually Operate 

Openfloat is not just a finance tool, it’s an operational ally for every bar that wants to control spending, move faster, and keep suppliers happy. 

Here’s how Openfloat simplifies expense management across the bar business: 

Control Who Approves Pay-out and How Much 

Openfloat lets you assign approval limits and define user roles. Whether it’s a mixologist buying lemons or a branch manager paying a DJ, every shilling is accounted for before it's spent. 

Effortless Vendor and Supplier Payments 

With Openfloat, you can settle vendor invoices directly from the platform. Funds move digitally, instantly, and with full traceability. 

 This feature is especially useful for bars that: 

-Order perishable items daily 

-Need to settle supplier accounts often 

-Work with multiple vendors 

Spend Reconciliation That Takes Minutes, Not Hours 

Each transaction in Openfloat is tagged with receipts, notes, and timestamps. Instead of waiting for reports, you can reconcile spend in real time, reduce back-and-forth, and eliminate missing receipts. 

Multi-Branch Oversight, One Dashboard 

Whether you run a single outlet or a chain of five, Openfloat gives you a central view of how money moves across all branches. You can identify overspending, compare branch performance, and maintain control from anywhere. 

A Real-Life Example: Bar Next Door 

Before Openfloat, Bar Next Door, a fast-growing entertainment joint, relied on manual disbursements to cover bar supplies and operational expenses. Branch managers would send requests on WhatsApp, track expenses on spreadsheets, and reconcile with paper receipts. It worked, until it didn’t. 

Since adopting Openfloat, the bar has: 

• Reduced spend approval time from hours to minutes 

• Improved relationships with key suppliers through faster, traceable payments 

• Gained real-time visibility into how spend is used at each branch 

As the operations manager put it, “We no longer have to second-guess who spent what or when, Openfloat gives us clarity in real time.” 

Why Expense Control = Business Growth 

Managing bar expenses isn’t just about plugging leaks, it’s about freeing up energy to focus on what matters: better service, faster decisions, and healthier margins. 

With Openfloat: 

• Your team spends more time on customers, not cash handling 

• Your vendors get paid faster and trust your business more 

• Your finance team stops chasing receipts and starts driving strategy 

Key Features of Openfloat that are helping the Bars Industry  

• Digital disbursement - Eliminate cash and manual pay-outs  

• User permissions & authorization limits – Control who can initiate pay-outs, what they’re for, and set limits on approval amounts based on roles  

• Direct vendor payments - Pay suppliers easily and on time 

• Multi-branch oversight - One dashboard for all your bar branches  

• Real-time expense tracking and digital reconciliation – Stay on top of spend with receipts, tags, and approvals in one place. 

Whether you run a cozy cocktail bar or manage a chain of outlets, Openfloat helps you take control of the operational backbone of your business expenses. With better oversight, smarter controls, and frictionless pay-outs, you’ll not only reduce risk but build a more agile, growth-ready operation.