Business phone system for drinking places in Minnesota

Drinking places in Minnesota by the numbers

The Census Bureau counted 921 drinking places in Minnesota in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 722410). They employed 10,151 people in mid-March and reported $218.1 million in annual payroll. That is the 13th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Drinking places make up 0.60% of the 154,455 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Minnesota has 15.9 drinking places, 32.4% above the national rate of 12.0. The average establishment has 11.0 employees against 10.6 nationally. Payroll per employee is $21,487, 16.1% below the U.S. figure of $25,612.

Minnesota's largest markets for drinking places

Census published bar counts for 28 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Minnesota. The largest is Minneapolis, MN-WI, with 368 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 32% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at drinking places in Minnesota

31.4% of Minnesota's drinking places with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 38.7% nationally. 62.0% 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 Minnesota

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 Minnesota as much as anywhere.

Typical inbound and outbound calls for drinking places in Minnesota:

• A customer calls about trivia night.
• A guest calls about reserving space for a birthday.
• A band calls about booking a gig.

Texting guests

Bars text event reminders and party confirmations.

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

What a phone system costs a bar in Minnesota

Drinking places in Minnesota average 11.0 employees, so the comparison uses an 11-person team. On a per-user plan that headcount sets the bill: $274.45 a month on Ooma Office Pro or $330.00 on RingCentral RingEX Core at list price (checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $219.00 a month for 11 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $1,332 less than RingCentral for a bar in Minnesota of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Minnesota

Minnesota has 8 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 Minnesota

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 Minnesota 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.