Group Tabs allows customers to start a tab in the venue by adding a spend limit and inviting people to their tab to pay using their funds.

In the following article we will be referring to: 

• Tab owner: Customer who started the tab and has added funds to it
• Tab invitee: Customer who has joined someone else's tab 

Creating a Group Tab

When a tab is created the tab owner can enter a name for the tab, choose if they want people to order from the full menu or a limited menu (package), the amount they want to spend and invite people to join the tab. A tab owner can increase the tab limit any time while the tab is open.

Group Tabs can only be created on the same day they are intended to be used and a customer must be in a party at the venue to create one.

Selecting a Tab Package

If the venue has created tab packages in the Operator Portal then these will be available to a tab admin when they are creating the tab. Admins can see a preview of what items are in the package before selecting them.

One thing to note the preview will show all items that have been added to the package whether or not those items are actually available on the table they are on at that time. 

See this article for a guide on creating Tab Packages! 

For a user to join a tab they must also have an account and be verified. This is for security purposes so that the tab owner can see details of all people on the tab and they can be removed and blocked for any reason.

A customer can only be part of a single tab at a time. If they are trying to join/create another tab whilst they are the owner or part of someone else's tab they may be asked to first leave the tab to join/create the new one.

Removing people from a Group Tab

A tab owner can see all users that have joined the Group Tab and remove them at anytime.

If a user has been removed from a tab by the owner they will be blocked from re-joining.

Paying with the Group Tab

When a customer is on a Group Tab they will see it as an option in the select payment screen. Customers can either use the Group Tab to pay or their own payment method.

Tabs are specific to the venue they have been created in. If someone is on a tab at one venue and goes to another they will not be able to use the tab they were on. 

Closing a Group Tab

Tabs can be closed in the following ways:

• Manually: by the group tab owner at any time
• Automatically: 15 minutes after the tab owner has received the tab limit reached SMS and they have not increased the limit
• Automatically: at the end of the dining day, 5am next calendar day.

When a tab has been automatically closed the tab owner will receive an SMS confirmation.

Once the tab has been closed the tab owner will automatically receive an email tax invoice with a full summary of all items ordered on the tab and payment methods used. Tab owners will not receive receipts for individual orders they have made on the group tab.

Tab invitees will not receive receipts for orders made on a group tab as they have not paid for the order, unless they have used their own payment method.

Group Tabs Refunds

When a tab is closed either manually by the owner or automatically at the end of the day any unused funds on the tab will be automatically refunded back to the tab owner. 

Refund amounts will go in reverse order back through the payment methods used refunding the last used method first.

• Single orders made using the Group Tab cannot be refunded by the venue.
• Group Tabs cannot be refunded by manually the venue at this time.

Depending on when the tab is closed a refund will either automatically go through as successful or need to be processed. 

If the refund needs processing before it can be completed it may take up to 24 hours before me&u can confirm that this has been successful. When this occurs customers will receive an SMS confirming that it is processing and an email receipt.

When a refund is successful the customer will receive a SMS saying their refund has been processed and the email receipt confirming. From this point it will take a few business days for the money to appear back in the bank account.

After 24 hours if the refund has failed to process me&u will send the customer an SMS telling them that their refund has failed and a new receipt. If this occurs the customer needs to contact the me&u support team to get the refund triggered manually.

Summary

Tab Owners

• Tab owners can increase the tab limit anytime whilst the tab is open
• Tab owners can close the tab at anytime
• Tab owners can remove anyone from the tab
• Tab owners will receive an email receipt once the tab is closed with all orders and transactions
• Tab owners can request a receipt for the entire tab anytime once it is closed
• Tab owners cannot transfer ownership of the tab to another customer
• Tab owners cannot see who sent which orders on their tab

Tab Invitees

• Tab invitees cannot see the remaining funds on a tab
• Tab invitees cannot add funds to the tab
• Tab invitees cannot see other invitees on a tab
• Tab invitees cannot see other invitees orders made on a tab
• Tab invitees will not receive a email receipt for an order using the tab as payment
• Tab invitees cannot request a receipt for an order using the tab as payment