Business phone system for drinking places in Massachusetts

The bar industry in Massachusetts

County Business Patterns counts 604 establishments in Massachusetts classified as Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (NAICS 722410) for 2023. They employed 8,290 people in mid-March and reported $233.1 million in annual payroll. That is the 22nd highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Drinking places make up 0.33% of the 183,767 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Massachusetts has 8.5 drinking places, 29.5% below the national rate of 12.0. The average establishment has 13.7 employees against 10.6 nationally. Payroll per employee is $28,114, 9.8% above the U.S. figure of $25,612.

Drinking places by metro area in Massachusetts

Census published bar counts for 8 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Massachusetts. The largest is Boston, MA-NH, with 324 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 37% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at drinking places in Massachusetts

38.9% of Massachusetts's drinking places with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 38.7% nationally. 63.7% had fewer than ten. At that size the phone is shared, so routing (who rings, when, and what happens after hours) matters more than the number of desk phones.

Why the phone matters for drinking places in Massachusetts

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.

Typical inbound and outbound calls for drinking places in Massachusetts:

• A band calls about booking a gig.
• A guest calls about reserving space for a birthday.
• A customer calls about a lost item.

What drinking places text about

Bars text event reminders and party confirmations.

Texting from a local number in Massachusetts requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee on Callata.

Phone system pricing for a 14-person bar

Drinking places in Massachusetts average 13.7 employees, so the comparison uses a 14-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 14 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $420.00 a month and 14 on Ooma Office Pro cost $349.30. Callata comes to $279.00 a month for 14 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $1,692 less than RingCentral for a bar in Massachusetts of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has 9 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a bar can hold a number in more than one of them.

How Callata works for drinking places in Massachusetts

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

Porting a number you already use in Massachusetts is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.