Square rolls out Open Tickets so you can keep your tab open at bars

VENTURE BEAT: Square is making another bid for the restaurant and bar scene with its latest product. Today, the mobile register launched Open Tickets, which allows customers to keep an open tab. The product is said to be rolling out this week.

“‘Keep my tab open.’ Music to a bartender’s ears. More often than not, it means more sales — and bigger tips. But managing tabs can be a pain,” the company wrote in a blog post. The new feature is Square’s latest love note to the food and beverage industry.

Open Tickets is a small product update, but it’s a noteworthy play for a market it covets.

The company has always had a keen eye on restaurants, cafes, and bars. Some of the company’s early success came from wooing coffee shop clients. But Square’s mobile register and accompanying software, a bundle of analytics, inventory, and scheduling applications, isn’t tailored specifically for restaurants.

To better serve this key market, the company has been redefining its approach. Square recently shut down Square Order, its order-ahead app, to focus more squarely on Caviar, a recent acquisition that gives delivery infrastructure to restaurants that don’t have it. Now we’re seeing the roll-out of features like Open Tickets that will make Square a more viable register for restaurants.