In the world of bars, pubs, and nightclubs, every call matters. A single missed ring could mean a lost table booking, an unanswered enquiry about private hire, or even a large group order slipping away to a competitor. In a business where margins are tight and customer expectations are high, those small moments add up quickly — and they directly impact revenue.
Yet, too many venues still rely on outdated landlines or personal mobiles to handle their communications. While those options once served their purpose, they’re no longer enough for the fast-paced hospitality environment. Customers expect quick, reliable responses and staff need systems that are easy to manage during busy shifts.
That’s where modern VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems step in. Designed for flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, VoIP gives venues the tools they need to never miss an opportunity. With Plexatalk, you can transform your phone system from a liability into an asset that actively supports growth.
Running a bar or pub is a balancing act — and answering calls often gets pushed to the bottom of the list. The reality is that noisy environments make it difficult to hear a ringing landline or mobile, let alone hold a clear conversation with a potential customer. Background music, clinking glasses, and a buzzing crowd create an atmosphere guests love but one that isn’t phone-friendly.
On top of that, staff are constantly on the move. Whether they’re pulling pints, carrying trays, or restocking the fridge, they can’t always stop what they’re doing to pick up the phone. When peak hours hit — Friday and Saturday nights, match days, or special events — call volumes climb just as service demands peak, making missed calls almost inevitable.
The cost of those missed calls is significant. Every unanswered enquiry could mean a lost table booking, a cancelled group night out, or a private hire that goes elsewhere. In hospitality, where reputation and word-of-mouth matter, poor communication doesn’t just lose sales in the moment — it risks long-term customer loyalty.
Traditional landlines simply don’t fit the pace of modern hospitality. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) offers a smarter, more adaptable solution for bars and pubs by moving calls away from outdated hardware and onto the internet. This shift opens up a world of benefits that directly address the challenges venue owners face.
First, VoIP is inherently flexible. Instead of being tied to a single handset behind the bar, calls can be routed to multiple staff members’ mobiles or devices, ensuring someone is always available to answer. Whether your team is serving, restocking, or managing the floor, customers won’t be left waiting.
It’s also cost-effective. Without the heavy fees of traditional telecom providers, VoIP gives venues predictable monthly costs and better value for money. As your bar grows — perhaps opening a new location or hosting more large-scale events — scaling up the system is simple and doesn’t require expensive rewiring or new lines.
In short, VoIP isn’t just a phone system. It’s a modern communications tool that helps hospitality businesses capture every opportunity and deliver a better guest experience.
The real strength of a VoIP system lies in the features that directly support the fast-moving world of hospitality. For bars, pubs, and nightclubs, the right setup can make the difference between a missed opportunity and a satisfied customer.
Together, these features give hospitality businesses the tools to stay responsive, organised, and customer-focused — even at peak times.
To see the value of VoIP in action, it helps to picture how it works in everyday hospitality situations.
Friday Night Rush – Your venue is packed, the bar is four deep, and calls are coming in nonstop. Instead of ringing out or going unanswered, customers are placed in a call queue with tailored messages — letting them know you’ll be with them shortly. That means fewer lost opportunities and happier callers who feel acknowledged.
Private Hire Enquiry – A customer rings about booking your space for a birthday party, but the manager is off-shift. With voicemail-to-email, their message lands instantly in the manager’s inbox, complete with contact details. The enquiry is safely captured and can be followed up without delay.
Live Music Night – The sound system is pumping, the team is everywhere, and a single ringing landline would be impossible to hear. With VoIP, calls can ring multiple staff mobiles at once. Even in the busiest moments, someone can pick up and secure the booking.
These scenarios highlight how VoIP turns everyday challenges into smooth, customer-friendly experiences — keeping revenue and reputation intact.
At the end of the day, the real measure of any phone system is how it helps your business grow. For bars, pubs, and nightclubs, VoIP offers a clear set of benefits that go beyond simply taking calls.
First, it ensures you always look professional. Missed calls — and the reputation damage that comes with them — become a thing of the past. Every enquiry is answered, queued, or captured, giving customers confidence in your venue from the very first interaction.
It also boosts customer satisfaction. Callers don’t have to deal with endless ringing or unanswered voicemails. Instead, they experience smooth communication that feels organised and reliable — the kind of service that encourages repeat visits and positive reviews.
For staff, VoIP keeps the focus where it should be: on serving guests. Instead of juggling phones during peak times, the system works in the background to make sure calls are managed efficiently.
Most importantly, every call becomes an opportunity. Whether it’s a single table booking or a lucrative private hire, VoIP ensures you’re ready to capture more revenue and keep your venue thriving.
Plenty of phone systems claim to support hospitality, but Plexatalk is built with venues like yours in mind. From the very first call, it’s clear the platform is designed to solve the real challenges pubs, bars, and nightclubs face every day.
With straightforward £10 per user/month pricing, Plexatalk keeps costs predictable and affordable — no confusing tariffs or hidden extras. Getting started is just as simple. Most venues are set up within 24–48 hours, meaning you can go from missed calls to a professional VoIP system in a matter of days.
Plexatalk is already trusted by restaurants, pubs, cafés, and takeaways across the UK, giving hospitality teams the reliability they need without the complexity of old-school telecoms. And when you do need a helping hand, their UK-based support team is always on hand to answer questions and keep you connected.
For hospitality businesses, communication is revenue. Plexatalk makes sure you never miss a call, never miss a booking, and always give customers the professional experience they expect.
Looking to get started? Get in touch with us here.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a phone system that works over the internet instead of traditional landlines. For bars and pubs, it means flexible call handling, lower costs, and features designed to prevent missed bookings or enquiries.
VoIP is more flexible than landlines — calls can be routed to multiple staff mobiles, queued during busy times, and captured as voicemail-to-email. It’s also cheaper to run and scales easily as your venue grows.
With Plexatalk, pricing is simple: £10 per user, per month. There are no hidden fees, and setup takes just 24–48 hours.
Yes. VoIP allows calls to be forwarded to staff mobiles, so managers and team members can answer on the move — even during peak hours or off-shift.
With Plexatalk, missed calls don’t get lost. Features like voicemail-to-email and call queues ensure every enquiry is captured and can be followed up quickly.
Yes. As long as you have a stable internet connection, VoIP is highly reliable. Many pubs, clubs, and restaurants already use it to stay connected during their busiest times.
Every missed call is a missed order and for a takeaway, that means lost revenue. When the phone rings, it’s not just a customer enquiry, it’s money on the line.
A decade ago, a traditional landline was enough to keep business ticking over. But in 2025, with more competition, higher customer expectations, and busy peak hours, landlines are showing their age. They can only handle one call at a time, leave customers frustrated with engaged tones, and offer no visibility or flexibility when you need it most. For takeaway owners, this often means juggling calls, missing orders, and watching sales slip away – today you’ll find out why voip beats landlines ofr takeaway businesses every time.
That’s where VoIP changes the game. Designed for modern businesses, VoIP systems handle multiple calls seamlessly, route them to the right person, and even integrate with ordering apps and customer records. Instead of struggling with outdated infrastructure, takeaways can focus on what matters: keeping orders flowing, customers happy, and revenue growing.
In this article, we’ll show exactly why VoIP beats traditional landlines for takeaways—and how it can help you stop missing orders for good.
For a busy takeaway, the humble landline quickly turns from lifeline to liability. The problem is simple: one line can only handle one call at a time. When the phone’s engaged, hungry customers don’t wait—they hang up and order from a competitor. That’s lost revenue you’ll never see again.
Even when the phone isn’t engaged, landlines create a bottleneck. Staff have to juggle taking orders, answering questions, and managing the kitchen, all through a single handset. Calls get rushed, mistakes creep in, and customer service suffers.
Worse still, missed calls often vanish without a trace. Traditional landlines offer no call logs, alerts, or tracking. Unless a customer rings back, you’ll never know how many orders slipped through the cracks. And if you try to fix the problem? Adding extra lines or staff coverage is expensive and rarely practical for small takeaway businesses.
In short, landlines were never built to handle today’s demand. They leave takeaways exposed to missed orders, frustrated customers, and unnecessary costs—exactly the issues VoIP is designed to solve.
VoIP gives takeaways the tools to keep up with demand and stop orders slipping through the cracks. Unlike landlines, it can handle multiple calls at once. Instead of hearing a frustrating busy tone, customers are placed in a queue with on-hold messages, so they’re more likely to wait and place their order.
VoIP also keeps you connected wherever you are. Calls can be forwarded to mobiles or even delivery drivers, ensuring no order gets missed just because no one is near the counter phone. And if a customer does leave a message, voicemail-to-email delivers it straight to your inbox so you can respond quickly and professionally.
It’s cost-effective, too. Rather than paying for several separate lines, VoIP minutes can be shared across your whole team, making it cheaper and simpler to manage. For takeaways with multiple branches or franchise plans, VoIP links every site under the same system—so scaling up doesn’t mean scaling your phone bill.
In short, VoIP gives takeaways a modern, flexible, and reliable communication system—something landlines simply can’t match.
For most takeaways, caller ID isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential. When a regular customer calls, the number instantly pulls up past orders and delivery details in your EPOS system. This speeds up service, reduces mistakes, and keeps loyal customers happy.
But here’s the catch: moving from a traditional landline to VoIP can sometimes cause caller ID issues if it isn’t configured correctly. Without the right setup, your EPOS might not recognise the number, leaving staff scrambling to confirm addresses and orders manually—a frustrating step backwards.
The good news is, this problem is easily solved. With the right approach—whether that’s using an Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA) or switching to takeaway-focused VoIP software—caller ID integrates seamlessly. Your staff keep the same fast, familiar workflow, while gaining all the extra benefits of VoIP.
In short, VoIP doesn’t mean losing the caller ID link that powers your EPOS. Done properly, it makes that connection stronger, more reliable, and future-proof for a growing takeaway business.
Read more about the solutions for this here.
For most takeaways, cost is just as important as convenience—and here, VoIP comes out ahead. Traditional landlines typically cost £20–£40 per line, but each line can only handle one call at a time. If you want to handle more orders, you’ll need to pay for extra lines and hardware, quickly driving up monthly bills without solving the underlying limitations.
VoIP, on the other hand, is priced per user, usually around £10–£20 per month. Minutes are shared across your team, so you get far more flexibility for less money. Call rates are also lower, especially for mobiles and long-distance calls, which means savings stack up quickly.
For a real-world example: a typical takeaway switching from three landlines to VoIP could save £100–£200 every month. That’s money straight back into the business—whether it’s for marketing, staff, or simply boosting profit margins.
When you add in the fact that VoIP delivers better functionality at a lower cost, the question isn’t whether you can afford to upgrade, it’s whether you can afford not to.
Find out more about our phone systems for restaurants and takeaway businesses.
No matter your cuisine or setup, Plexatalk is built to handle the unique challenges of takeaway life. Our VoIP systems are tailored to busy kitchens and front-of-house teams, helping you keep orders flowing smoothly—whatever’s on the menu.
From single-location independents to multi-branch franchises, Plexatalk helps takeaways stay connected, cut costs, and deliver a better experience for customers.
The clock is ticking on traditional phone lines. By 2027, the UK’s PSTN and ISDN networks will be switched off completely, meaning landlines, as we know them, simply won’t exist. For takeaway owners still relying on old systems, that’s a serious risk.
Waiting until the last minute isn’t a safe option. A rushed upgrade often means higher installation costs, limited provider choice, and the very real danger of downtime right when you need your phones most. Imagine losing your main order channel for even a day during peak trading—it’s a hit no business can afford.
Early adoption of VoIP removes that risk entirely. By switching now, you get the benefits immediately—better call handling, lower costs, and integration with your existing workflows—while knowing your system is future-proof. The transition is smoother, staff have time to adapt, and you won’t be caught in the 2027 scramble.
In short: the landline switch-off isn’t coming, it’s already underway. Takeaways that act early won’t just avoid disruption—they’ll gain a head start on competitors still stuck in the past.
One Chinese takeaway switched from three landlines to a VoIP system and immediately cut their call costs by around £150 a month. That saving went straight back into staff wages and marketing, while the phones worked better than ever.
A busy pizza shop struggled every Friday night with constant engaged tones. After moving to VoIP, they set up call queues so customers waited on hold instead of hanging up. The result? Fewer missed orders, happier customers, and a noticeable bump in weekend revenue.
Meanwhile, a local kebab shop uses VoIP’s mobile app integration to keep staff connected on the go. Drivers and managers can call customers directly from the shop’s number, not their personal mobiles, keeping communication professional and consistent while protecting staff privacy.
These examples show how VoIP adapts to real takeaway challenges—saving money, preventing missed orders, and making operations smoother day-to-day.
The message is simple: sticking with landlines means sticking with lost orders, higher costs, and frustrated customers. Every missed call is lost revenue—and with competition tougher than ever, that’s business you can’t afford to give away.
VoIP, on the other hand, gives takeaways exactly what they need: flexibility to handle multiple calls, lower running costs, smoother workflows, and happier customers who know their favourite orders will always get through. It’s a system designed for the reality of modern takeaway life.
With Plexatalk, switching is fast and hassle-free. Our service is built specifically for UK takeaways, with caller ID and EPOS integration included as standard, and pricing that’s clear and transparent. You’ll be set up quickly, with support every step of the way, so you can focus on what matters—keeping orders flowing and customers coming back.
Don’t wait until the 2027 landline switch-off or until the next peak rush exposes the cracks. The best time to upgrade is now. The second best is tomorrow.
See how Plexatalk helps takeaways stay connected, cut costs, and keep customers happy.
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For most takeaways, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is the best option. It handles multiple calls at once, integrates with EPOS systems, and costs less than traditional landlines.
Yes. Unlike landlines, VoIP can queue calls, forward them to mobiles, and log every missed call. This means fewer lost orders and happier customers.
In most cases, yes. Landlines cost £20–£40 per line, while VoIP is around £10–£20 per user with cheaper call rates. Many takeaways save £100–£200 a month after switching.
Yes. With the right setup (such as ATAs or takeaway-focused VoIP software), caller ID integrates seamlessly with EPOS systems to pull up customer order history and delivery details.
Not always. You can use existing phones with an adapter, or upgrade to VoIP handsets and mobile apps. Providers like Plexatalk guide you through the setup.