How our EPOS stock control system supports award-winning cocktails at Over & Above
“The Batch Maker system is fantastic. Before opening Over & Above, I hadn’t used any stock management systems. But it’s really simple to use, it’s been a real game-changer for us.”
Nestled in the heart of Harrogate, hidden behind a secret bookcase entrance, you’ll find one of the UK’s best cocktail bars. It’s been quite a year for Rich and Fran Hamer, the husband-and-wife team behind Over & Above. They opened in March 2025, not long after welcoming their first child into the world. And just months before Over & Above’s one-year anniversary, the venue earned a place in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list.
For Rich, it has been the realisation of a long-held dream. “I was getting itchy feet. I love hospitality and always wanted to open a bar of my own, and it was always going to be cocktails.” But why Harrogate? “It was when I was visiting my parents, who live here. I noticed a bit of a gap in the market – plenty of traditional pubs and bars, but no real high-end cocktail scene. We also met our business partners while visiting. They showed us the space they had available, and then it just kind of fell into place.”
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“We take the drinks seriously, not ourselves”
Rich says, “We wanted to create a neighbourhood-style bar, with the sort of feeling where you're round at your best friend’s house, you’ve just finished dinner, and you’re just relaxing with drinks and listening to music. We take the drinks seriously, but never ourselves.”
And the drinks are a serious business indeed, with all manner of kit from dehydrators to sous vides in their prep room. Their much-loved Clarified Colada takes 18 hours to prepare – but as it’s their top seller, it’s clearly worth every second.
Rich’s background as the Head of Prestige and Advocacy at Sipsmith included working with world-famous venues such as The Savoy and The Connaught, giving him firsthand insight into high-end hospitality and the crucial role of effective systems.
The challenge – precise stock control for technical cocktails
With such a technical menu, tracking exactly how much stock you’re using is a challenge. But that’s why so many top cocktail bars use batching – pre-mixing certain elements of cocktails to ensure efficiency and precision.
Rich says, “It wasn’t really a thing 10-15 years ago, but all the cocktail bars I know of are doing it now. It gives you precise stock control, and there are certain drinks you can't prepare on the bar, like the fat-washed drinks. Customers benefit because it speeds up service and you get better consistency in taste, because every drink has the same amount of each ingredient and there’s less room for error.”
To fully realise the benefits of precise portion and cost control, it's essential to have astock tracking system that supports batching. Rich spoke to other operators in Harrogate to find out who they were using for their EPOS and management tech and get some insights. Several venues in the town are Tabology customers, and after hearing good things, Rich arranged a demo.
The solution – a simple and flexible stock management system, built into the EPOS
Tabology’s stock control system instantly stood out to Rich – it’s built into our Bar EPOS system, and is available to all customers as standard. It includes a dedicated Batch Maker function. This allows you to input recipes for all your pre-prepared cocktail mixes, giving you precise cost prices and complete ingredient traceability. Every time you sell a drink using the mix, the system automatically deducts the specified amount of each ingredient from the stock.
“The Batch Maker system is fantastic. Before opening Over & Above, I hadn’t used any stock management systems – I’d never even done a stocktake. But it’s really simple to use, it’s been a real game-changer for us.”
Rich and his team have one major prep shift in their lab every week, during which they concoct their works of art and log everything into the system. “The next menu we’re planning is going to be even more technical, so we’ll be relying on the Batch Maker system more and more.”
Beyond stock – how Tabology EPOS supports smooth service
Crafting that relaxed and friendly vibe is a huge part of Over & Above, and Rich has deliberately employed staff with diverse personalities so they can engage with different types of customers. That personal touch is everything, and that requires tech that works quietly in the background, allowing staff to shine.
“One of the best things about Tabology EPOS is that it's so intuitive. We’ve barely had to train staff. It’s super fast, they just had a play for 10 minutes and they were ready to go. There’s nothing worse than clunky systems where everything takes longer than it should, so that intuitiveness was a really big factor in choosing Tabology.”
Over & Above also uses Tabology’sbuilt-in booking system and digital gift cards, and has set up distinct booking types for one-off events such as their cocktail-making masterclass. “The booking system works really well and is easy to set up, and we sold loads of
gift cards over Christmas.”
A strong first year – and just getting started
Rich says, “It’s been a wild year. It was a leap of faith for us, going from two London wages to starting a business from scratch. I also had crazy impostor syndrome, having not been behind a bar for so many years. So having a system that’s so in-depth and easy to use has been huge. We love using the Tabology system, and I’m always singing its praises when I speak to other operators.”
For Rich and Fran, openingOver & Above was always about more than cocktails – it has been a labour of love, building something of their own. One year in, with a new baby, national recognition, and a system they trust, that leap of faith looks to be paying off – but it’s only the beginning.
“We'd love to grow more of a cocktail scene here in Harrogate,' Rich says. 'We're looking to get involved in takeovers with other Top 50 bars, inviting them here so people can experience some of the country's best cocktails without leaving their hometown. And we'd love to take our concept to other cities too.”
If you're running a cocktail bar or any venue that needs the same precise stock control, faster service, and effortless staff onboarding that Rich and the team at Over & Above rely on, we'd love to show you how Tabology can work for your business.Book a free demo with our experts or
drop our team a line to find out more.
