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Business phone system for drinking places in Kansas

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

Establishments
288CBP 2023
Employees
3,083mid-March 2023
Per 100k residents
9.7U.S. 12.0
State rank
35th of 51by count

How many drinking places operate in Kansas

County Business Patterns counts 288 establishments in Kansas classified as Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (NAICS 722410) for 2023. They employed 3,083 people in mid-March and reported $46.4 million in annual payroll. That is the 35th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Drinking places make up 0.38% of the 76,139 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Kansas has 9.7 drinking places, 19.3% below the national rate of 12.0. The average establishment has 10.7 employees against 10.6 nationally. Payroll per employee is $15,053, 41.2% below the U.S. figure of $25,612.

Drinking places: Kansas compared with the U.S., 2023
MeasureKansasUnited States
Establishments28840,835
Mid-March employees3,083432,542
Annual payroll$46,409,000$11,078,437,000
Employees per establishment10.710.6
Payroll per employee$15,053$25,612
Establishments per 100,000 residents9.712.0

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 Kansas

Census published bar counts for 13 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Kansas. The largest is Kansas City, MO-KS, with 193 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 66% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Drinking places by metro or micropolitan area, Kansas, 2023
AreaEstablishmentsEmployeesPer 100k residents
Kansas City, MO-KS1932,0598.6
Wichita, KS6676610.0
Topeka, KS3237613.8
Lawrence, KS3261526.2
Joplin, MO-KS181158.7
St. Joseph, MO-KS186715.1
Manhattan, KS1724112.6
Salina, KS1113818.5
Emporia, KS108928.5
Hays, KS87727.6
Pittsburg, KS63815.4
Dodge City, KS5—14.7
McPherson, KS3—9.9

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

Team sizes at drinking places in Kansas

35.5% of Kansas's drinking places with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 38.7% nationally. 63.4% 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 Kansas by employment size, 2023
Employment sizeEstablishmentsShareU.S. share
1–4 employees10235.5%38.7%
5–9 employees8027.9%27.4%
10–19 employees6924.0%20.1%
20–49 employees3010.5%11.3%
50 or more employees62.1%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.

Why the phone matters for drinking places in Kansas

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. That holds for drinking places in Kansas as much as anywhere.

A few of the calls that come in to drinking places in Kansas:

After-hours calls

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.

Callata vs. per-seat pricing for drinking places in Kansas

Drinking places in Kansas average 10.7 employees, so the comparison uses an 11-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 11 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $330.00 a month and 11 on Ooma Office Pro cost $274.45. On Callata the same 11 people cost $219.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $1,332. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

Monthly list price for an 11-person bar
Provider (plan)Pricing basisPer monthPer year
Callata (Callata Office)$99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user$219.00$2,628.00
Quo (Starter)$19.00 per user$209.00$2,508.00
Nextiva (Core)$23.00 per user$253.00$3,036.00
Ooma (Office Pro)$24.95 per user$274.45$3,293.40
Dialpad (Standard)$27.00 per user$297.00$3,564.00
RingCentral (RingEX Core)$30.00 per user$330.00$3,960.00

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 Kansas

Kansas has 4 geographic area codes 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 Kansas by assigned exchanges
Area codeExchangesTime zoneIn service sinceOverlay with
785727Central and Mountain1997none
620705Central and Mountain2001none
913533Central1947none
316340Central1947none

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 Kansas

Callata Office costs $99 per month for up to 5 people, and each additional user is $20 a month. That covers up to 3 local numbers, calling from a browser or your cell, transcribed voicemail, recorded calls with AI summaries, after-hours routing and E911 on each number.

If you already have a number in Kansas, 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 Kansas?

288 in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns. They employed 3,083 people in mid-March.

Which Kansas metro area has the most drinking places?

Kansas City, MO-KS, with 193 establishments in 2023.

What does a phone system cost an 11-person bar?

$330.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core or $274.45 on Ooma Office Pro at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026); $219.00 on Callata ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user).

Do I need to register to text customers from a Kansas 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.