Business phone system for drinking places in Montana

Drinking places in Montana by the numbers

The Census Bureau counted 541 drinking places in Montana in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 722410). They employed 4,969 people in mid-March and reported $101.6 million in annual payroll. That is the 23rd highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Drinking places make up 1.3% of the 42,566 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Montana has 47.6 drinking places, 296.2% above the national rate of 12.0. The average establishment has 9.2 employees against 10.6 nationally. Payroll per employee is $20,443, 20.2% below the U.S. figure of $25,612.

Montana's largest markets for drinking places

Census published bar counts for 7 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Montana. The largest is Billings, MT, with 63 establishments. Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 57% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at drinking places in Montana

32.9% of Montana's drinking places with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 38.7% nationally. 65.1% 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.

What drinking places in Montana use the phone for

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 Montana might handle in a typical week include:

• A customer calls about trivia night.
• 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 Montana requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee on Callata.

Phone system pricing for a 9-person bar

Drinking places in Montana average 9.2 employees, so the comparison uses a 9-person team. Priced per seat, 9 users would run $270.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $224.55 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $179.00 a month for 9 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $1,092 less than RingCentral for a bar in Montana of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Montana

Montana has 1 geographic area code 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 Montana

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 Montana 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.