Running a pub in Middlesbrough and constantly juggling staff rotas, sick calls, and no-shows? You’re not alone. Every landlord from Linthorpe to Acklam knows the headache of managing bar staff without proper tools. That last-minute text saying “can’t make it tonight” when you’ve already sent everyone else home? We’ve all been there.
The good news is there’s finally a solution built by people who actually understand what it’s like behind the bar. SmartPubTools offers a completely free front-of-house app that handles all the staff management bits that keep you up at night.
Running this problem at your pub?
Here's the system I use at The Teal Farm to fix it — real-time labour %, cash position, and VAT liability in one dashboard. 30-minute setup. £97 once, no monthly fees.
Get Pub Command Centre — £97 →No monthly fees. 30-day money-back guarantee. Built by a working pub landlord.
What Makes a Good Bar Staff App
After years of trying everything from WhatsApp groups to expensive software that promises the world, here’s what actually matters for Middlesbrough pubs:
- Easy rota creation – drag and drop shifts without needing a computer science degree
- Real-time updates – when someone calls in sick, everyone knows instantly
- Hour tracking – no more arguments about who worked what
- Time-off requests – staff can request holidays properly instead of scribbling on bits of paper
- Mobile-first design – because you’re not sat at a desk all day
Most importantly, it needs to work in the real world. When it’s heaving on a Saturday night and you need to check who’s in tomorrow, the last thing you want is an app that crashes or takes five minutes to load.
Why Middlesbrough Pubs Choose SmartPubTools
What sets our bar staff app apart is that it’s built by landlords who’ve faced exactly the same problems. We know what it’s like when your best bartender decides to move to Australia with two days’ notice, or when three staff call in sick on the same weekend.
The app works seamlessly across all your devices, so whether you’re checking rotas on your phone behind the bar or planning next week’s shifts on a tablet upstairs, everything stays in sync. Staff get their own login to see their shifts, request time off, and pick up extra hours when available.
It integrates naturally with the rest of your pub operations too. Similar tools are helping landlords across the North East – from staff management in Sunderland to comprehensive solutions in Durham pubs.
Best of all? It’s completely free. No hidden costs, no premium features locked away, no monthly fees eating into your already tight margins.
Ready to sort your staff management once and for all? Try SmartPubTools today and see why Middlesbrough landlords are finally getting their evenings back.
Free Tool for UK Pub Landlords
Used daily at Teal Farm Pub, Washington NE38
The Pub Command Centre handles everything in this article — without a spreadsheet.
Wet GP%, dry GP%, labour costs, beer line cleaning logs (12 lines), HACCP temperature checks, stock ordering, weekly P&!mp;L. All in one system. Used every shift at Teal Farm where labour runs at 15.1% against a UK pub average of 25-30%.
On a pub taking £900k a year, running labour at 15% instead of 25% is worth roughly £90,000. That is what tracking it daily — every shift, every week — actually looks like.
£97 once. No subscription. No monthly fee. Works on any phone, tablet or laptop. Setup under 10 minutes. Built and used by a Marston’s CRP licensee with a 5-star EHO rating and 180 covers.
See the Pub Command Centre — £97 →
One-off payment. Works on any device. Used by a working licensee, not a software company that’s never pulled a pint.
SmartPubTools FOH App — Free, Forever
Built by a real pub landlord from the North East. Staff gamification, shift tracking, leaderboards and rota tools — free, no subscription, no credit card needed.
📊 Your EPOS tells you what sold. Pub Command Centre tells you whether you made money.
Real-time labour %, cash position and VAT liability in one dashboard. Built by a working pub landlord. £97 once, no monthly fees. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Takes 2 minutes · Free forever · Made for UK pubs
Running your pub on gut feel?
The Pub Command Centre gives you wet GP%, cellar checks, staff cost and weekly P&L — from your phone, every shift. £97 once. No subscription.
See the Pub Command Centre →