Three ways to settle, side by side
Each model uses the same trailer and bartenders. The difference is who pays, how the cost is built up, and what happens when service runs. Hours, staff and exact inclusions are confirmed in your written quote — these are the package defaults, not a checkout price.
| Cash Bar | Hosted Bar | Drinks Tab | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who pays | Guests | Host | Host, then guests |
| Budget basis | A setup fee | A per-guest rate × guests | A prepaid cap |
| Service hours | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| When the tab is used | Guests keep buying | Runs for the agreed window | Switches to Cash Bar |
Swipe the table sideways on a small screen. Hosted Bar has a minimum of 50 guests; Drinks Tab carries a minimum prepaid tab of R5 000.
Bar & Staff Only — a different question
Bar & Staff Only sits apart from that table because the question changes entirely. You supply every drink — the beer, wine, spirits, mixers and softs — and we bring the trailer, 2 bartenders, ice and glassware for 100 across a 6-hour window. It's R8 500 for the Bar Zone flagship or R6 500 for Nom Bango. You're responsible for the applicable venue or event licensing; our team pours your stock for your guests, they don't sell it to them. It isn't structure-only dry hire or standalone bartender hire.
See the Bar & Staff Hire page for the full responsibility split.
Three hypothetical events
These are planning illustrations, not past events — we don't quote consumption figures, savings or market averages. Your real numbers come back in the written quote.
1. A guest-funded celebration
A birthday host wants a proper bar at the venue without funding every round. Cash Bar keeps the host's cost to a setup fee — R3 500 for the flagship or R2 500 for Nom Bango — and guests buy their own drinks across the five-hour window. The host gets the bar and the atmosphere; the guests pay for what they drink. For events of 150+ guests the setup fee may be waived, subject to acceptance based on the projected overall spend — never a zero-cost guarantee for the whole booking.
2. A per-guest hosted event
A company treats 80 staff to an open bar at the year-end function. Hosted Bar bills a fixed per-guest rate for an agreed 4-hour window and a set menu — Standard (R250/guest) or Premium (R380/guest) on the flagship, Standard (R220/guest) on Nom Bango — with a 50-guest minimum. The company knows the drinks cost before the night; every guest is treated equally for the whole window. It isn't unlimited consumption, and the brands in the photos aren't all included — the menu is agreed in the quote.
3. A prepaid tab followed by Cash Bar
A couple wants a ceiling on the wedding drinks without running the bar themselves. Drinks Tab pairs a unit fee — R3 500 for the flagship or R2 500 for Nom Bango — with a prepaid tab of at least R5 000 on a pre-approved list. Guests drink against the balance; when it's used, the bar switches to a guest-paid Cash Bar for the rest of the 5-hour service. Any unused balance is held as a credit toward more drinks or a future booking — not refunded in cash.
Before you request
- Guest communication. How will guests know who pays? On a Cash Bar a sign or brief announcement helps; on a Hosted Bar guests simply order. Tell us how you'd like it handled.
- Menu agreement. Which drinks sit on the agreed list? Standard covers beer, cider, house wine, house spirits and softs; Premium adds premium spirits, sparkling wine and draught on the flagship. Nom Bango has a Standard rate; no Premium price is supplied for it.
- Travel. Our base is in Hartbeespoort. Travel and additional site logistics are itemised in your written quote — not a fixed radius or mileage calculator.
- Written quote. A request is not a reservation. We confirm availability, access, licensing and the exact figures before any date is held.