Card machine guide · Bars & breweries
For cocktail bars the Clover Station Duo is the usual starting point: fast drink modifiers and tab transfers. Below: what the setup looks like, who it suits and where owners go wrong.
✓ Installed by our team and supported by phone. Rates and equipment are quoted to your business.
Short answer: For most cocktail bars, the Clover Station Duo is the best-fitting card machine (main well with a guest tipping screen). Tabs opened with a card, mostly tap and chip, with tips added at close. A Station Duo at each well, with a Flex for table service or a second bar.
Key facts
Related: Clover POS for Cocktail Bars: Setup, Devices and Quote · Card machines by business · Clover Station Duo · Get a Clover quote
At Merchant Fund Express, we set up Clover for which credit card machine is best for a cocktail bar: the right devices, the features that matter in your workflow and on-site training for your staff.
For most cocktail bars we start with the Clover Station Duo. The Duo is the full countertop system: two screens, a built-in printer, tap, chip and swipe, Ethernet and Wi-Fi, and fingerprint login for staff.
A cocktail bar fills fast after nine and stays three deep at the rail on weekends. Every minute a bartender spends at the screen is a minute not shaking drinks.
Drinks carry many modifiers: base spirit, call or premium, up or rocks, extra garnish. Grouping them so a bartender can ring "old fashioned, rye, extra cherry" in three taps is the whole setup.
Tabs opened with a card, mostly tap and chip, with tips added at close. Groups often want to transfer tabs from the bar to a table.
Several bartenders work one bar. Individual logins show who rang what and who comped what, which keeps the end-of-night conversation short.
A Station Duo at each well, with a Flex for table service or a second bar. Checking ID is the owner's responsibility; the POS records sales, not customers' ages.
Installation is a visit, not a shipment: a technician places and tests each device, programs your menu or services with you, connects printers and drawers and practices a full transaction with every person who will use it.
| Role | Device | Why it earns its place |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Station Duo | Main well with a guest tipping screen |
| Add-on | Flex | Table service and second bar |
| Add-on | Kitchen Display 14" | If you serve food from a kitchen |
The trap is a flat button for every drink variation. Build modifiers so the menu stays fast enough to use when the rail is three deep.
What you get from Merchant Fund Express is a team, not a box: installation at your location, practical training and phone support, plus funding options from the same company if your plans grow.
Reviewed by the Merchant Fund Express team on October 12, 2026. Official pages checked as of that date.
Yes. Open tabs can be transferred between staff and stations so a group that moves to a table keeps one check.
With individual logins, reports show discounts and comps by employee, so you can see patterns without guessing.
The Merchant Fund Express team installs on site, configures your items and trains your staff, then stays available by phone after launch.
It helps but is not required. A recent processing statement lets us compare your effective rate to what a Clover setup would look like for your sales mix.
No. Equipment and processing are quoted to your business, because the right number depends on your volume, card mix and how many stations you need. Call (305) 384-8391 for a personal quote.
Call Merchant Fund Express. We install it, train your staff and stay on the line after launch. Ask for a free rate review while you are at it.
