The best medicine: Cosmic Comedy and SumUp
Cosmic Comedy, run by Dharmander Singh and Neil Numb, consistently shows up in list after list of ‘best things to do in Berlin’ and is the city’s most well-known English comedy venue. For good reason too; they’re busy hosting or producing shows there almost every night of the week.
Though they only recently bought their own club, Cosmic has been around since 2014. Neil and Dharmander – Dhar for short – met as performers in the then sparsely-populated Berlin comedy scene, and after a while decided to join forces.
Fast forward to today and they’re the most successful English comedy club in Berlin, as well as the only comedy night in the city that allows people to pay by card at the door. How did they get here?
Where it started
Dhar and Neil hit it off pretty quickly when they met, since both grew up in the same comedic environment. The U.K. nightclubs they got their starts in helped to foster a strong work ethic and a clear idea of what they wanted Cosmic Comedy to be.
The pair have changed venue three times so far, opening at Mein Haus am See and transitioning to Belushi’s for a few years before purchasing their own space in the heart of Prenzlauer Berg.
Shooting for the stars
“99.9% of our reviews are organic,” says Singh – and those reviews are glowing. Whether it’s about the acts, the friendly bar staff, the hosting, or the logo (a cat with laser eyes), everyone’s got something to praise about Cosmic Comedy.
Why all the buzz? “We mean it,” they explain. Whether it’s welcoming a customer at the door, talking to them during the break, or thanking them for coming as they leave, the Cosmic duo is as enthusiastic now as they were on day 1.
They may be a comedy club, but Dhar and Neil are all about the customer. From the free pizza and shots to 2-for-1 drink specials before the show, their ethos is making sure the audience is as comfortable as possible.
“The first answer at the door shouldn’t be no. It should always be yes, and SumUp is essential for that”
To that end, one of the first things they did after buying their venue was set themselves up to take card payments by purchasing a SumUp Air. Allowing customers the option to use their card at the door is an instrumental part of setting an accommodating tone for the night ahead.
And if you want to order drinks, Cosmic outfitted their bar with a SumUp reader too. That comes as a very welcome surprise both to their Berliner and international visitors, the pair explain.
Why SumUp?
Dhar and Neil knew they wanted to offer cashless payments to customers and knew that not accepting card was costing other venues money. Recalling a night at an old venue where a customer showed up with 30 coworkers asking to pay with card, the pair lamented watching the bar decline.
What made them choose SumUp?
The simple option
Accepting and making payments using a SumUp reader couldn’t be simpler, and that was important to Cosmic. Since their business is organised around giving customers as easy a time as possible, any payment solution needs to be easy too.
It’s simple for businesses too; the lack of red tape or extra fees means there’s not much to figure out or navigate when you’re using SumUp to run your business.
Affordable and instant payment solution
“There’s no downtime on the system,” says Numb when describing what makes SumUp unique. Everything is quick and is recorded as it happens, which means they get real-time sales numbers through the SumUp App.
“We can judge how the night went by looking at card sales”
The team was also pleasantly surprised to find lower transaction fees with SumUp than other providers.
Swift customer support
It’s not often there’s an issue, but when something comes up, Neil and Dhar know SumUp is there. Whenever they’ve called, someone answered. Not having to wait for assistance saves them a lot of time, so that they can get back to what they love faster.
Our support team is here for you too. If you think SumUp is a good fit for your business, check out our products to find the right card reader for you. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have.
