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Business phone system for drinking places in Hawaii

157 drinking places operated in Hawaii in 2023. Where they are, how big their teams are, and what phone service costs them.

Establishments
157CBP 2023
Employees
1,603mid-March 2023
Per 100k residents
10.9U.S. 12.0
State rank
42nd of 51by count

Drinking places in Hawaii by the numbers

County Business Patterns counts 157 establishments in Hawaii classified as Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (NAICS 722410) for 2023. They employed 1,603 people in mid-March and reported $40.2 million in annual payroll. That is the 42nd highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Drinking places make up 0.48% of the 32,911 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Hawaii has 10.9 drinking places, 9.6% below the national rate of 12.0. The average establishment has 10.2 employees against 10.6 nationally. Payroll per employee is $25,094, 2.0% below the U.S. figure of $25,612.

Drinking places: Hawaii compared with the U.S., 2023
MeasureHawaiiUnited States
Establishments15740,835
Mid-March employees1,603432,542
Annual payroll$40,225,000$11,078,437,000
Employees per establishment10.210.6
Payroll per employee$25,094$25,612
Establishments per 100,000 residents10.912.0

Census County Business Patterns 2023 (mid-March employment; annual payroll). Employees and payroll flagged high-noise are shown but not used in the text. Residents: Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

Drinking places by metro area in Hawaii

Census published bar counts for 3 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Hawaii. The largest is Urban Honolulu, HI, with 124 establishments. Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 99% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Drinking places by metro or micropolitan area, Hawaii, 2023
AreaEstablishmentsEmployeesPer 100k residents
Urban Honolulu, HI1241,30512.4
Hilo, HI161467.6
Kahului, HI151339.2

Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023; population from Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

Team sizes at drinking places in Hawaii

42.7% of Hawaii's drinking places with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 38.7% nationally. 65.0% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.

Drinking places in Hawaii by employment size, 2023
Employment sizeEstablishmentsShareU.S. share
1–4 employees6742.7%38.7%
5–9 employees3522.3%27.4%
10–19 employees3421.7%20.1%
20–49 employees1710.8%11.3%
50 or more employees42.5%2.4%

Employment-size classes count establishments by mid-March 2023 employment. Establishments with no March employees are excluded from the size classes, so shares are of establishments with employees. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.

Calls a bar in Hawaii has to catch

Bars and taverns take calls about events, private parties and hours, often when the room is too loud to hear the phone. Capturing those calls helps book parties.

Calls a bar in Hawaii might handle in a typical week include:

Calls after closing time

Bars are open late, so calls during service need capture and callback.

Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.

Phone system pricing for a 10-person bar

Drinking places in Hawaii average 10.2 employees, so the comparison uses a 10-person team. Priced per seat, 10 users would run $300.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $249.50 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). On Callata the same 10 people cost $199.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $1,212. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

Monthly list price for a 10-person bar
Provider (plan)Pricing basisPer monthPer year
Callata (Callata Office)$99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user$199.00$2,388.00
Quo (Starter)$19.00 per user$190.00$2,280.00
Nextiva (Core)$23.00 per user$230.00$2,760.00
Ooma (Office Pro)$24.95 per user$249.50$2,994.00
Dialpad (Standard)$27.00 per user$270.00$3,240.00
RingCentral (RingEX Core)$30.00 per user$300.00$3,600.00

Competitor prices are each vendor's published month-to-month list price per user for its lowest plan that includes business calling and texting, checked September 28, 2026: Quo Starter $19, Nextiva Core $23, Ooma Office Pro $24.95 (Essentials excludes texting; one-time $29.95 activation not included), Dialpad Standard $27, RingCentral RingEX Core $30 ($20 billed annually). Prices exclude taxes and fees and may change; annual contracts lower some competitors' prices.

Area codes in Hawaii

Hawaii has 1 geographic area code in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your guests know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.

Area codes in Hawaii by assigned exchanges
Area codeExchangesTime zoneIn service sinceOverlay with
808693—1957none

Exchanges are NANPA-assigned central office codes (NPA-NXX) in the rate centers matched to the area's named places. Source: NANPA utilized code and NPA reports.

How Callata works for drinking places in Hawaii

For $99 a month, Callata puts a team of up to 5 on one plan ($20 for each person after that): up to 3 local numbers, unlimited inbound calls, a pooled allowance of 1,500 outbound US and Canada minutes per user, browser and cell calling, voicemail transcription with urgency triage, recorded calls with AI summaries and business-hours routing, with E911 on every number.

If you already have a number in Hawaii, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.

Frequently asked questions

How many drinking places are in Hawaii?

157 in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns. They employed 1,603 people in mid-March.

Which Hawaii metro area has the most drinking places?

Urban Honolulu, HI, with 124 establishments in 2023.

What does a phone system cost a 10-person bar?

$300.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core or $249.50 on Ooma Office Pro at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026); $199.00 on Callata ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user).

Do I need to register to text customers from a Hawaii number?

Yes. US carriers require business texting from local numbers to be registered (10DLC). On Callata the registration is a one-time $49 fee, and texting turns on once it is approved.