Disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, SmartPubTools earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t influence our recommendations — all opinions are Shaun’s own, based on running Teal Farm Pub and SmartPubTools.com.

How to Access the Collins Pub System in the UK

Last updated: 11 April 2026

Most pub operators assume their EPOS system is just a till — but Collins is actually a full pub management platform that does far more than ring sales. You’ll find that gaining proper access to Collins doesn’t mean just logging in at the bar; it means understanding which user role you need, how to set up remote access, and what to do when something breaks at 8pm on a Friday night. I’ve personally managed access for 17 staff across front-of-house and kitchen operations, and I can tell you that most licensees never unlock the full potential of Collins because they never set it up correctly in the first place. This guide walks you through accessing Collins properly — not just getting the till running, but using it as a real business management tool.

What Is the Collins Pub System?

Collins is a cloud-based pub management system — not just an EPOS till. The most effective way to understand Collins is to see it as three separate tools: the bar terminal (where staff ring sales), the manager dashboard (where you check stock and takings), and the back-office system (where data syncs and reports are generated). Most operators only ever use the first one.

I’ve evaluated this system during real peak trading conditions at Teal Farm Pub in Washington, Tyne & Wear — specifically during a Saturday night with a full house, card-only payments, kitchen tickets, and bar tabs running simultaneously. That’s when you understand what “system access” really means: it’s not just reaching the till, it’s making sure your manager can pull live stock reports, your kitchen can see orders in real-time, and your owner can access financial data from anywhere. If access isn’t set up correctly from the start, you’ll lose visibility over your business exactly when you need it most.

Collins differs significantly from traditional standalone tills. It requires internet connectivity, cloud storage, and proper user management. If your internet drops, your till still works offline, but access to the cloud features disappears. That’s something you need to plan for and understand before you go live.

How to Access Collins: Initial Setup

When you first install Collins, you’ll be given three pieces of information: your pub ID, your initial admin login credentials, and access to the Collins partner portal. Do not skip any of these steps.

Step 1: Access the Collins Admin Dashboard

Log in to the Collins web portal using your admin email and password. This is not the same as staff login credentials. Your admin account is where you set permissions, create staff logins, configure hardware, and access financial reporting. Keep this login private and change the password immediately upon first access. Many pub operators hand out their admin login to multiple staff, which creates a massive compliance and security problem.

Step 2: Create Staff Login Accounts

In the admin dashboard, navigate to User Management. Create individual login accounts for each member of staff. Do not create a single “bar” login that everyone shares. This is critical for two reasons: first, it tracks who completed each transaction (legally important for disputes and tax records), and second, it prevents staff from accessing areas of the system they shouldn’t. Your head bartender does not need access to your profit margins or supplier contracts.

Step 3: Configure Hardware and Payment Methods

Collins will ask you to register your terminal, card reader, kitchen display screen (if you’re using one), and any additional devices. Make sure every piece of hardware is registered to your pub ID. This is where most licensees go wrong — they connect hardware without properly registering it in the system, and then wonder why backup doesn’t work or their kitchen display screen stops receiving orders.

Step 4: Set Your First Manager Login

Create a separate manager login account (different from your admin account). This is the account you’ll use day-to-day to check sales, stock, and staff performance. Your admin account should only be used for system configuration and staff management.

Many pub operators in the SmartPubTools network report that this separation of roles took time to understand, but it’s the single most important security practice in pub management. Your admin account is your keys to the kingdom — lock it up and only use it when you genuinely need to change system settings.

User Roles and Access Levels Explained

Collins has five standard user roles, and understanding which one each staff member needs is the foundation of proper system access.

Admin/Owner

Full access to everything: staff management, financial reporting, hardware configuration, supplier setup, and system settings. Only the licensee or designated manager should have this role. In my experience managing Teal Farm Pub, I’ve kept this to just two people maximum.

Manager

Can view all reporting, manage stock, handle staff scheduling (if enabled), process refunds, and override certain transactions. Managers cannot change system settings, create new staff accounts, or access financial forecasting. This is typically your head bartender or assistant manager role.

Bar Staff

Can only ring sales, process payments, and view their own shift records. They cannot see financial data, override transactions, or access stock information. This is your standard front-of-house login.

Kitchen

If you’re using a kitchen display screen, staff in the kitchen log in with kitchen-only access. They can see incoming food orders and mark them complete, but they cannot ring sales or access stock information.

Delivery/Supplier

Some pubs set up restricted access for suppliers doing deliveries or stock checks. This role is optional and rarely used in small pubs.

The single most common mistake is giving bar staff manager-level access “just to make things easier.” This always backfires. You lose audit trails, staff can refund their mates without record, and you’ll have no way to investigate till discrepancies. Create the correct role, train to it, and move on.

Remote and Mobile Access

One of Collins’ strengths is that you can access your pub data from anywhere — your home, your car, another property. This is genuinely useful for checking sales during the week or managing stock from your office.

Web Portal Access

Log into Collins.pub (or whatever your provider’s web address is) using your manager or admin credentials. You can view sales reports, stock levels, staff performance, and financial summaries in real-time. This only works if your internet connection is live — it’s cloud-based, so no internet means no access.

Mobile App Access

Collins offers a mobile app for iOS and Android. Download it, log in with your manager credentials, and you can check your pub data on your phone. The app shows simplified reports (today’s sales, pending orders, basic stock) rather than the full desktop dashboard, which is fine for on-the-go checking.

What You Can and Cannot Do Remotely

You can view and report. You usually cannot make transactions or change staff accounts remotely. This is a security feature — it prevents someone hacking your account and changing system settings from across the world. If you need to make actual changes (create staff logins, reconfigure hardware, adjust permissions), you typically need to do it from the admin dashboard on the actual pub terminal or a designated office computer on your network.

When evaluating pub IT solutions for a multi-property operation or a large pub, remote access becomes critical. If you’re managing more than one venue, you need mobile access working properly from day one.

Common Access Issues and Fixes

In my years running Teal Farm Pub and consulting on EPOS implementation, I’ve seen the same access problems repeated across dozens of pubs. Here are the real-world solutions.

Forgotten Admin Password

If you’ve lost your admin password and don’t have access to the email address you registered with, you’ll need to contact your Collins reseller or Collins support directly. They can verify your identity and reset your password. This is a deliberate security measure — there’s no way to bypass your admin login without verification. Always, always write down your admin credentials and store them securely (a password manager, or a physical locked drawer). Not on a Post-it note under your till.

Staff Cannot Log In

Most common causes: the staff account hasn’t been activated in the system, the password is incorrect (Collins is case-sensitive), or the account has been deactivated. Check in your admin dashboard under User Management. If the account shows “inactive,” activate it. If you’re unsure of the password, reset it from the admin panel and give the staff member a temporary password to change on first login.

Kitchen Display Screen Not Receiving Orders

This usually means the kitchen terminal isn’t registered in your system or isn’t connected to the same network as your main till. In the admin dashboard, check Hardware Configuration. Make sure the kitchen display is listed there. If it’s not, register it. If it is, check your internet connection and restart both the till and the kitchen display.

Cannot Access Remote Dashboard

If you can log into the till but cannot access the web portal remotely, it’s usually a network issue (your pub’s internet is too weak to maintain the cloud connection) or your account permissions haven’t synced to the cloud. Try logging out and logging back in. If it still doesn’t work, check your internet speed — Collins needs at least 2Mbps upload speed to function reliably. If your internet is the problem, you need a better provider, not a better EPOS system.

Internet connectivity is the hidden cost that most pub operators don’t account for. A cheap broadband package might work for email and music streaming, but it will fail during peak trading when multiple staff are processing cards simultaneously while the kitchen display is updating orders. This is especially true in wet-led pubs where you’re handling dozens of quick transactions, not just a few food orders.

System Says “Access Denied” for Certain Features

You have the wrong user role. Manager accounts cannot usually access financial forecasting or change system settings. Only admin accounts can. If you think you should have access to something, ask yourself: is this something an admin should be able to do? If yes, you need to log in with your admin account instead. If no, then the system is working correctly and you shouldn’t have access to it.

When evaluating whether your current EPOS setup is actually working for you, use a pub profit margin calculator to check whether you’re actually getting the financial visibility you should have. If you can’t easily pull reports on product-level profit margins, your EPOS access setup isn’t complete.

Collins Integration with Other Pub Systems

Collins doesn’t exist in a vacuum. You’ll likely want to connect it to your accountancy software, your stock management system, or your staff scheduling app. Access to these integrations is usually handled through the admin dashboard.

Accounting Software Integration

If you use QuickBooks, Xero, or FreeAgent, Collins can push sales data directly to your accounting software. This saves you hours of manual entry and reduces errors. To enable this, you’ll need to authenticate Collins with your accounting app in the integrations section of the admin dashboard. You’ll give Collins read permission (it can send data to your accounting software) but not write permission (accounting software cannot change Collins). This is the correct setup.

According to UK tax guidance on business records, you must keep sales records linked to accounting data for at least six years. Collins integration with your accounting software ensures this link is automatic and auditable.

Kitchen Display System (KDS)

If you’re running food service alongside your wet sales (or you’re a wet-led pub doing Sunday lunch), a kitchen display screen syncs directly with Collins. Orders from the till automatically appear on the kitchen screen. Access to KDS is usually automatic if the hardware is registered, but you’ll need kitchen staff to have kitchen-specific logins.

For pub operators, kitchen display screens save more time and reduce more errors than any other single EPOS feature. I’ve run Teal Farm Pub both ways — with and without KDS — and the difference is massive. Tickets don’t get lost, you don’t have shouting across the bar at peak times, and you’ll process food orders in half the time. But it only works if kitchen staff logins are set up correctly in Collins.

Stock Management and Cellar Integration

Collins can integrate with stock management tools (some pubs use dedicated cellar management software). This is where it gets complex — you need proper API access and often a dedicated integration setup. Contact your Collins reseller about this. Cellar management integration matters more than most operators realise until they’re doing a Friday stock count manually. Once you’ve got it working, you’ll never go back to spreadsheets.

Staff Scheduling

Some versions of Collins include staff scheduling. To use this, your manager login will need scheduling permissions enabled. This typically requires admin sign-off during setup.

When you’re evaluating whether Collins (or any EPOS system) is right for your pub, check whether the integration ecosystem actually supports the way you run your business. If you use a specific stock management system or accounting software, verify that Collins integrates before you commit. Integration failures are the most common reason pubs abandon EPOS systems within the first year — not because the till doesn’t work, but because the data doesn’t flow where it needs to.

For more information, visit pub profit margin calculator.

For more information, visit pub drink pricing calculator.

For more information, visit pub staffing cost calculator.

For a working example with real figures, the Pub Command Centre is used daily at Teal Farm Pub (Washington NE38, 180 covers) — labour runs at 15% against a 25–30% UK average.