Frequently asked questions
What is Bar Sales IQ?
Bar Sales IQ is a research tool for Texas bars and restaurants. It shows each location's monthly liquor, wine, beer and cover-charge sales back to 2007, its TABC permits and compliance status, who owns it, sister locations, and every past operator at the address. You can search by name, owner, address, city, county or metro area, and compare up to five places side by side.
Where does the data come from?
Everything comes from public records published by the State of Texas on the Texas Open Data Portal: the Texas Comptroller's Mixed Beverage Gross Receipts reports and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's (TABC) license, pending application and Credit Law delinquent records. See the Data sources page for links to each one.
Is it legal to look up a bar's sales?
Yes. Texas bars and restaurants that sell mixed drinks report their alcohol receipts to the Comptroller every month for the mixed beverage tax, and the State publishes those reports as public records. Bar Sales IQ organizes that public data; it doesn't use anything private.
How current is the data, and why does the newest month look low?
Bar Sales IQ pulls data live from the State each time you load a page, so it is as current as the State's records. Businesses file their reports over several weeks, so the newest month fills in gradually. Bar Sales IQ marks that month as partial and leaves it out of totals and comparisons until most reports are in. TABC license data updates daily.
Does it include every bar and restaurant in Texas?
Sales cover every location that holds a Mixed Beverage permit or a private club permit, which includes almost every place that serves cocktails or liquor. Places licensed for beer and wine only (TABC BG or BE permits) don't report sales to the State, so there are no sales figures for them, but every one is listed with its license details on the All licenses page.
Are these a bar's total sales?
No. The figures are alcohol sales only: liquor, wine, beer, and cover charges, as reported for the mixed beverage tax. Food, merchandise and other revenue aren't included. They are gross receipts as reported by the business, before costs.
What do the FB, LH, red sign and blue sign badges mean?
FB is TABC's Food and Beverage Certificate, which means the place has a kitchen and serves food. LH is the Late Hours Certificate, which allows sales until 2 a.m. where local rules permit. The red 51% sign means alcohol is 51% or more of the business's revenue, which usually means a bar. The blue sign means alcohol is under 51%, which usually means a restaurant. Tap "What the badges mean" on any page for the full key.
How does Bar Sales IQ find a parent company?
Restaurant groups often set up each location as its own LLC, so the owner names don't match. Bar Sales IQ groups locations whose owners file their taxes from the same corporate address, which is a strong sign they share a parent company. It is an estimate based on public records, not a legal determination.
Which bars and restaurants can cater?
Since September 2021, catering is part of every Mixed Beverage and private club permit. Beer-and-wine (BG) permit holders can serve at off-site events too, after notifying TABC for small private events or getting TABC approval for public ones. A Local Cartage (E) permit means the business can also transport alcohol to events. The All licenses page lets you filter for places that can cater or hold events, and for those with local cartage.
Do you show liquor store or convenience store sales?
No. Bar Sales IQ focuses on bars, restaurants and clubs that serve alcohol on site. Texas doesn't publish store-by-store sales for liquor stores or convenience stores.
Can I see a bar's violations?
Bar Sales IQ shows whether a permit is currently suspended or cancelled (the penalties for violations) and whether the business is on TABC's Credit Law list for owing a wholesaler. The Compliance page lists every one in Texas. TABC doesn't publish individual citations as open data, so for full violation history, members can create a public records request to TABC from any location page in about two minutes.
What is a public records request? Is it the same as a FOIA request?
In Texas it's called a Public Information Act request, the state version of a federal FOIA request. Anyone can ask a Texas agency for public records without giving a reason. Bar Sales IQ members can create requests to TABC, police and city or county offices for any location. Bar Sales IQ writes the letter with the license numbers and addresses filled in, and you send it yourself. Agencies generally must respond within 10 business days.
Do I need an account?
No. Searching, the last 12 months of sales, permits, compliance and comparisons are free without an account. A free (no-cost) account adds the full sales history back to 2007, due-diligence reports, a watchlist of up to 5 locations that follows you to any device, and records request tools. Pro adds the new-license feed, up to 12 watchlists with 100 locations, and more. See Free vs Pro.
What does Pro cost?
Pro is $19 a month, or $190 a year (two months free), billed securely through Stripe. It includes the new-license feed and up to 12 watchlists with 100 locations, with weekly new-license alerts, branded PDF reports, watchlist alerts and AI-assistant access on the way. You can cancel anytime from Manage billing on the Free vs Pro page.
Can I download the data?
Yes. Search results and the Compliance page each have a Download spreadsheet (CSV) button, and with a free account every location has a printable due-diligence report. Monthly sales tables can be copied straight into Excel or Google Sheets. Pro members can also download the new-license feed.
Is there an app?
Yes. Bar Sales IQ installs on your phone or computer from the browser. On iPhone or iPad, open barsalesiq.com in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. On Android or in Chrome, tap Install app in the menu.
The information about my business is wrong. Can you fix it?
Bar Sales IQ shows the State's records exactly as published, so corrections have to be made with the agency: the Texas Comptroller for sales reports, or TABC for license details. Email hello@barsalesiq.com and we'll point you to the right office.
Is Bar Sales IQ affiliated with TABC or the State of Texas?
No. Bar Sales IQ is an independent service operated by Dynamic Buzz LLC. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by TABC, the Texas Comptroller or any government agency.
How do I delete my account?
Open the account menu (your profile picture), choose Manage account, and delete it there, or email hello@barsalesiq.com. Deleting your account removes your watchlist and saved requests. See the Privacy Policy for details.