Last updated: 2 May 2026
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Most pub landlords I know don’t keep a daily sales log—and their accountants hate them for it. You might think your EPOS till is doing that job for you, but it isn’t. Your till records what was rung in; a daily sales log records what actually happened behind the bar, which are two very different things. When I took on Teal Farm three years ago, I inherited a pub with no systematic record of daily takings, staff performance, or cash discrepancies. Within six months of implementing a daily sales log, I spotted patterns that cost me thousands the year before. The template I’m sharing here is the one that’s actually worked for me—not a generic spreadsheet, but something built around how a real pub operates. This guide shows you exactly how to set one up, what to record, and why your NSF auditor will love you for it.
Key Takeaways
- A daily sales log is a manual record of takings, voids, comps, staff performance and cash position that your EPOS till cannot provide alone.
- The most effective way to catch discrepancies in your pub is to compare your daily log against your till readings—this is where most cash loss is detected.
- Your NSF auditor and pubco BDM expect you to have documented daily records; without them, you’re exposing yourself to disputes and compliance issues.
- A simple template requires five minutes per day and pays for itself within the first month through identifying staff errors and shortfalls.
What a Daily Sales Log Actually Is
A daily sales log is a written record of your pub’s daily financial activity. It sits between your EPOS till and your accountant’s year-end figures. It records what your till doesn’t: cash discrepancies, voids, comps, refunds, staff names, covers served, and any unusual activity.
Your till will tell you it took £3,400 on a Saturday night. Your daily sales log tells you why it might have been £3,200, who was on shift, how many tables you had, and whether a staff member voided £200 in drinks. This distinction is critical because it’s the difference between knowing your sales figure and understanding your performance.
I started keeping a daily log on my first week at Teal Farm. By week two, I’d spotted a till operator who was consistently underringing rounds. Without a log, I’d have discovered this during the quarterly NSF audit—or worse, not at all. With it, I corrected the issue immediately and trained the staff member properly.
Why It Matters for Your Finances
Here’s the honest bit: your pubco expects you to keep records. More importantly, your accountant and your NSF auditor depend on them. When I passed my NSF audit in March 2026, the auditor spent more time reviewing my daily logs than anything else. They weren’t interested in fancy graphs—they wanted to see that I could prove my numbers.
A daily sales log protects you in three ways: it provides evidence of your financial accuracy, it helps you spot staff errors before they become theft, and it gives you real data to discuss with your BDM when your sales figures dip.
Here’s a practical example. One Friday in 2025, my till showed £2,800 in sales, but my daily log showed I’d served 145 covers with an expected average spend of £22 per cover. The numbers didn’t match. I reviewed the log, found that a staff member had voided £300 in drinks (legitimate—mostly spilled pints), and could account for every pound. Without that log, I’d have had a discrepancy with no explanation and a stressed BDM asking questions.
When you’re planning your pub profit margin calculator figures or working toward your Pub Command Centre financial forecasts, accurate daily records are your foundation. Without them, you’re making decisions based on incomplete data.
How to Set Up the Template
You don’t need anything fancy. I use a printed A4 sheet laminated and filled in with dry-wipe marker. Some operators prefer a simple spreadsheet. Either works, as long as it’s consistent and complete.
Here’s the core structure for your daily sales log:
- Date and day of week — obvious, but important for pattern spotting
- Opening and closing till readings — pulled directly from your EPOS
- Net sales figure — the difference between opening and closing (this is your gross takings)
- Voids and comps — any drinks rung off, why, and by whom
- Refunds issued — separate line, with reason
- Staff on shift — names of bar staff, not just ‘team’
- Covers served — rough count if you do food; essential if you run events
- Notes section — equipment issues, unusual events (quiz night, live band, match day)
- Cash count — what you actually counted in the till at close
- Variance — the difference between till reading and cash count (should be zero or explained)
If you’re using a spreadsheet, set it up in columns. If you’re printing, design a simple form with these sections in order. The key is making it quick to fill in while you’re closing down—you won’t do it if it takes 20 minutes.
I keep my log in a folder at the till point. Every member of bar staff knows that whoever closes the till completes the log before leaving. It’s as routine as cashing up. Within a month, it becomes automatic.
What to Record Every Day
Record your till readings at the same time every day—ideally at the end of your shift, before you cash up. Don’t estimate or fill it in the next morning. The longer you wait, the less accurate your memory becomes.
Here’s what I record, and why:
Till Opening and Closing Readings
These come directly from your EPOS. If you’re using a modern till (which you should be if you’re serious about compliance), your system will store these automatically. Write them down anyway. Redundancy catches errors.
Voids and Comps
This is where most pubs fail. A void is when you ring something in by mistake and cancel it. A comp is when you give something away (a customer’s second drink is free, a regular gets a pint on the house). Both need recording with the staff member’s name and the reason.
Why? Because voids and comps are the easiest way to hide theft. A staff member can void a round of drinks and pocket the cash, and your till will show a negative line that you might not notice. When I audit the logs against the till, I’m looking for unusual void patterns. One member of staff with 15 voids per week while another has 2 tells you something. It might be genuine clumsiness, or it might not be.
Refunds
Separate from voids. A refund is when you’ve already sold something and you’re giving the money back (customer changed their mind, drink was wrong, etc.). Track these too, with reason and staff member.
Staff Names and Shift Times
This isn’t punishment—it’s pattern recognition. You’ll start to notice which staff members work which shifts, which shifts are busiest, and whether performance correlates to who’s on. When you’re looking at pub staff rota legal requirements, you’ll want this data to support your scheduling decisions.
Covers and Event Notes
If you serve food, note how many covers you had. If it was a quiz night, match day, or quiet Tuesday, note it. This contextualises your sales. A Saturday with 200 covers and £4,200 takings is different from a Saturday with 90 covers and £3,800. Your daily log explains the difference.
Cash Count vs Till Reading
This is the critical one. At close, you cash up. You count the physical cash in your till. You write down the figure. Then you subtract it from your till reading. The difference should be zero.
If it’s not, you’ve got a variance. A variance of £2–5 is acceptable (rounding, broken change machines, human error). A variance of £50+ tells you something is wrong. A consistent pattern of £10–20 shortages tells you you’ve got a staff training issue or a dishonesty issue.
Most pub landlords ignore variances because they assume it’s just the cost of running a pub. It’s not. A £15 daily variance adds up to £5,475 per year. That’s a staff member’s wage.
Common Issues and How to Fix Them
Staff Don’t Want to Complete It
This is resistance to accountability, not resistance to paperwork. Make it clear that you’re not suspicious—you’re professional. Frame it as ‘this is how we run a tight operation’ and lead by example. When I started the logs at Teal Farm, my longest-serving barman was skeptical. After three months, he was the most meticulous because he understood what we were using it for: finding problems, not finding excuses.
You Keep Forgetting to Look at It
A daily log is only useful if you review it. Every week, spend 15 minutes reviewing the week’s logs. Look for patterns: unusual voids, consistent variances, quieter shifts. If you don’t review it, don’t keep it—just make your EPOS do the work and accept that you’ll spot problems later.
Your Till Doesn’t Support Z Readings or Detailed Reports
This is a problem. Your EPOS should give you opening and closing readings every day. If it doesn’t, you need to talk to your till provider. If you’re considering best pub EPOS systems to replace your current setup, daily reporting capability should be a minimum requirement.
You Don’t Know What to Do With the Data Once You Have It
This is where most operators get stuck. You’re keeping accurate daily logs, but you’re not translating them into action. If you see consistent variances, you need to investigate. If you see unusual void patterns, you need to retrain or review. If you see a staff member’s till consistently differs from others, you need to either train them or make a change.
This is exactly what the Pub Command Centre is designed to do—it takes your daily records and turns them into real-time insights about labour costs, variance patterns, and financial position. At £97 once with no subscription, it’s the cheapest insurance you can buy against financial drift.
Moving Beyond the Template
Once you’ve been keeping daily logs for three months, you’ll understand your pub’s rhythm. You’ll know your average covers, average spend per cover, typical void rate, and normal variance. This is when a daily log becomes genuinely valuable.
You can now use it to spot anomalies. A Tuesday with only 40 covers instead of the usual 70 tells you something’s wrong—maybe the quiz night wasn’t promoted, maybe there’s an event elsewhere pulling your customers. A Saturday with £3,600 takings but 25 voids tells you you’ve got a problem.
Share your logs with your pubco BDM when they visit. They’ll respect the professionalism. When you can say ‘my average Saturday covers are 180, my average spend per cover is £24, and my variance is less than 1%’, you’re speaking their language. This is the landlord they want to keep.
If you’re planning to take on a pub, or you’re currently in negotiations with a pubco about a tied house, get this system in place from day one. Your accountant will thank you. Your auditor will trust you. And you’ll actually know whether you’re making money or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a void and a comp in my daily sales log?
A void is a transaction you ring in and then cancel before payment (like an accidental ring). A comp is something you give away after payment (a free drink for a customer or regular). Both should be logged separately with the staff member’s name and reason.
How often should I review my daily sales logs?
Review your logs weekly—every Monday morning for the previous week’s trading. Look for unusual voids, consistent variances, or shifts that underperformed. If you only review them quarterly, you’ll miss the chance to address problems early.
Do I have to keep a physical daily log if my EPOS system stores everything?
Your EPOS stores till transactions. It doesn’t record voids and comps by staff member, cash count variance, covers, or contextual notes about why a day was unusual. A physical or spreadsheet log captures what your till can’t. For NSF audit compliance, having both is standard.
What should I do if I find a consistent daily variance of £10–15?
First, check that your cash counting procedure is correct—are you counting twice? Are you documenting float notes? If procedure is fine, investigate whether a specific staff member or shift shows the pattern. A £15 daily variance is £5,475 annually and should never be ignored as ‘just the cost of running a pub’.
Can I use a simple spreadsheet or do I need special pub software?
A simple spreadsheet is perfectly fine for a daily log. The template needs just eight columns: date, opening reading, closing reading, voids, comps, staff names, notes, and variance. What matters is consistency and accuracy, not the tool.
A daily sales log gives you visibility into what’s happening in your pub. But it doesn’t tell you whether you’re making money.
Your EPOS tells you what sold. Pub Command Centre tells you whether you made money—real-time labour %, VAT liability and cash position. £97 once, no monthly fees.
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