Since the advent of color photocopy machines and printers, there has been a surge in casual counterfeiting. No business is immune to receiving counterfeit money and must find ways to detect it while the customer is still on the premises. Counterfeit Detectors are used for verifying the cash received in business transactions is actual U.S. Currency. A detector can be as simple as a special chemical pen that leaves an amber mark on authentic currency and a dark brown or black mark on counterfeit currency. These pens work on all bills that are series 1959 and later and are very reliable.

The counterfeit pen can also be used in conjunction with a battery-operated hand-held ultra violet light. This UV light can be used with or without the pen. When the light is shined on the currency, it will show the UV sensitive strip that is found in notes printed 1996 and later. The UV light is also perfect for authentication of credit cards, personal and traveler’s checks, passports, etc.

While both of these tools are excellent on the front line and in the cash office because of ease of use, there is another item that is best suited for low lit areas where fast detections need to take place. An electric counterfeit money detector is perfect for the entrance to the bar, restaurant, movie theatres, nightclubs, or anywhere you need fast transactions in a dimly lit environment. These plug into a standard 110 volt outlet and have 12 watts of UV power, making it strong enough to work under any condition. Just place the currency under the light and you will know instantly if the bill is authentic or not.

The chemical pen and UV light is the same technology that has been used by banks for years and is now available to all businesses. Keeping counterfeit money out of your business is a must in order to protect your bottom line.

Beer merchandisers are not just for beer and are an excellent way to increase your beverage sales. They are made of polyethylene plastic or galvanized steel with urethane foam insulation. The plastic merchandisers can be made into counter or bartop models or floor models with casters for easy mobility. They can be decorated with a national brand logo, your logo or a solid color. There designs make it easy for the server or the customer to grab and go, making for short turnaround for your staff and more customers served.

The smallest merchandisers can hold 32 – 12 ounce cans or 24 – 16 ounce cans while the largest can hold almost 300 – 12 ounce cans or 186 – 20 ounce cans. With so much variety, the right merchandiser is available for all caterers, bar owners, convenience store owners, or anyone who uses a high volume of bottle or can beverages. All designs come with drains for easy emptying of the melted ice.

Beverage service is one of the most profitable parts for a restaurant, caterer or hotel. Portable beverage bars provide additional opportunities for hosting in any environment – inside or out, small or large, formal or casual. The length and width of the portable bar is ideal for an all-purpose beverage station, providing a sleek appearance to the customer and an efficient serving area for the operator.

They are made of either a durable plastic or stainless steel with black mica panels and can be from 4.5 to 6 feet long. The plastic materials used make the portable bars durable and resistant chips, dents, scratches, rust and breakage. The plastic is also impact resistant, waterproof and easy to clean. The stainless steel is also very durable and easily cleaned. They gain their mobility on four swivel casters with two of them locking casters for added safety. The 5’ and under bars fit into a standard elevator.

Standard accessories include speed rails, ice bins with drains and shut-off valves, storage for soda cans, extra napkins, straws, glass racks, etc. Optional accessories can include cold plates, built-in cutting boards for condiments, 5-button pre and post mix soda guns, bag-in-box soda dispensing equipment, and additional 17 gallon water tank.

Folding utility platform trucks are useful when moving large quantities of beer, spirits, or supplies between the storage area and your bar or kitchen area. The handles fold flat for easy storage and have 2 swivel and 2 rigid rubber wheel casters. The platform trucks come in a standard duty size, which supports up to 300 pounds or a heavy duty, which supports up to 600 pounds of materials, are made of solid steel with an non-skid vinyl deck, enamel finish and protective vinyl bumpers.

These are a necessity for safe transportation of cases of food, spirits or beer kegs. Use of these platform trucks will help keep employee injuries to a minimum.

Bar glass racks help keep your bar organized while keeping the glasses easily accessible for the bartender. Glass racks can hold all your most often used stemmed drinkware like wine, martini or margarita glasses.

Bar rails and the associated fittings are made from quality commercial grade solid brass or polished stainless steel. This makes them sturdy, attractive and extremely durable. Brass and stainless steel are rust resistant so corrosion is a minor problem, which is quickly dealt with by using brass or stainless steel polish. The fittings come packed with all required matching screws. The tubing comes with an outside diameter of 1” all the way up to a 2” O.D. The maximum length of the rail can be up to twelve feet.

The brass rails come in a variety of finishes; polished brass, reeded solid brass and spiraled brass. The stainless steel only come in a polished finish.

For safety and stability, the recommended spacing between brackets is 4 feet, beginning 6” from the ends.

Speed Rails let you have quick access to your most commonly used liquors so you can add speed and make cocktails like a pro. Speed rails come in single, double or a tiered option. They can be made out of stainless steel for the seamless look when attached to your bar sink. Other options include plastic or wire versions that are beautiful as well as weatherproof, which are perfect for outdoor bar use. The single and double stainless steel models have an optional locking cover that swings below the rail when not needed.

Speed rails come in a range of sizes. They hold bottles from a standard liquor bottle up to a half-gallon bottle. This wide variety makes speed rails the must have option to your bar setup.

In order to get your employees wages correct, a time clock system is essential. There are many types of time clocks on the market from the old-fashioned punch card to the modern electronic badge clocks.

The punch card system uses time cards made out of cardstock paper and the employee manually inserts the card to be punched. The payroll person then has to manually calculate the time the employee worked and data enter the time into the payroll software. This type of system is perfect for a small business with a few employees. The time clocks come with either analog or digital style clocks and are either have side loading or top loading card slots.

The modern electronic clocks make it easy and quick for the employee to punch in and out of work with either the tap of a card or the placement of a key fob on a sensor, or a swipe of a card through the time clock. It also makes it easier for the payroll person to calculate the wages. Most electronic time clocks have the ability to be connected directly to a computer for easy downloading into your pay processing spreadsheet.

The newest thing on the market is biometric time clocks. These hardware solutions eliminate problems with lost or forgotten time badges and are simple, fraud proof and cost effective. Since all employees’ fingerprints are different, there is not any possibility of employees punching or swiping in for each other. Most systems allow the enrollment of multiple fingers of an individual in the event of a deep cut or become unidentifiable. The fingerprint verification is usually completed within a few seconds, letting the employees get on task quicker.

Face it, alcoholic spirits demand a certain ritual. Gin poured from an icy shaker, over and olive, into a true cocktail glass sparkles with urbanity. It murmurs “Martini.” In a cardboard cup it simply sloshes. A good bar will stock glassware of all types to answer the many callings of its customers. There are some basic glasses that all bars should have on hand.

Wine glasses are a stemmed glass, which hold 10 to 14 ounces. These glasses should have a stem that is long enough so that the patron’s hand doesn’t touch the bowl (the body of the glass where the liquid sits), as this affects the temperature of the wine.

Champagne flutes are similar to wine glasses except they have a long, narrow bowl.  The narrow flute helps keep the overall surface area low and keeps the bubbles from dissipating.

Highball glasses are a sturdy, straight-sided glass that holds at least eight to ten ounces. The standard glass used in the industry. A highball glass is simplicity itself: ice plus liquor plus mixer. This glass is perfect for serving any straightforward drink like whiskey and soda or a Screwdriver. The bartender can also use this as a glass for beer drinkers.

For purists who like their whiskey or vodka straight on the rocks, Old-Fashioned glasses are for them. These eight to ten ounce, straight-sided, stemless glass are the best These also come in double old-fashioneds which are 14 to 16 ounce tumblers that are bigger than highball glasses and can hold any tall cooler like a Collins.

Cocktail glasses are also more commonly known as martini glasses. Their shape with a shallow wide bowl and a long stem is not only looks high class; its purpose is to keep hot hands away from the chilled alcohol. These are perfect glasses for the most jazzy, grown-up drinks like the Martini, Manhattan, Cosmopolitan or Rob Roy.

The most well known bar glass is the shot glass. These range from one ounce through as much as four ounces. The one ounce glass can be used as a drinking glass for having a shot of liquor neat or can be used as a measuring glass for mixing other drinks.

Beer glasses come in a wide-ranging variety from basic old-fashioned type glasses, mugs and steins, pilsners, stout, and tumblers. The one thing these all have in common is their wide tops. This lets the aroma of the beer reach the drinker enhancing the experience.

All bar glasses should be washed with care as to not chip or crack the glass. Some bar glasses come in plastic, but while economical, they do not enhance the taste, aroma, or atmoshpere of the drink.

Stellar tabletop design, from the choice of dinnerware, glassware, and even flatware, can increase sales and offset the competition. Appropriate tableware determines an operation’s atmosphere and can leave a lasting impression on guests, since the tableware is the first thing they see when they sit down to dine.

Dinnerware can be made from a variety of materials including china, porcelain, glass or stoneware and plastic. China and porcelain are ceramic materials – basically baked clay – and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Firing or vitrifying further hardens china and porcelain dinnerware, making the surface nonporous for greater food safety. Bone china is made with clay mixed with bone ash or calcium phosphate for a more translucent appearance. Some dinnerware incorporates alpha alumina to increase strength and reduce the thickness of the individual pieces. Color and/or patterns to the dinnerware are applied before the firing process.

Stoneware is a category of clay and a type of ceramic distinguished primarily by its firing temperature. Basically, it is man-made stone. Stoneware is dense and impermeable and hard enough to resist scratching. It differs from porcelain because it is more opaque and is usually colored grey or brownish because of impurities in the clay used for manufacturing. Stoneware is also normally glazed.

Glass dinnerware, though more likely to be used as accent pieces than for whole place settings, is made from tempered glass for chip resistance and durability. Tempered glass is a stronger glass with an enhanced thermal resistance and breaks into small square fragments rather than irregular shards of glass, offering more safety to diners.

Plastic dinnerware is the most affordable and durable of all choices. It is best used when there is a higher risk of the item being dropped to the floor, such as in bars, taverns, pizza joints, children-themed restaurants or even in nursing homes and hospitals. Plastic dinnerware can be made with any color combination and in any size. Some are microwaveable and most are dishwasher safe. Some plastic dinnerware can even be disposable.

Caring for your dinnerware depends on what type you use. China, porcelain and glass should never be cleaned with abrasive powders, harsh detergents, or steel wool scrubbing pads. Mild detergents and gentle cleansers are the best. When washing these types of dinnerware by hand, the preferred method, make sure the bottom of the basin is lined with a cushiony towel or rubber mat to prevent them from cracking against the bottom and never have more than one item in basin at a time. This will help prevent damage to the dinnerware. Always use a soft sponge or cloth to gently clean the dishes.

A dishwasher can be used, but special guidelines should be followed to prevent damage like chipping and cracks. Load the dishwasher so the dinnerware cannot knock into or bump other pieces during the cycle. Also, make sure the china, porcelain, and glassware are cooled adequately before unloading it from the dishwasher. Extreme temperature changes can cause the dinnerware to crack, chip or even break.

Stoneware should never be submerged in water, as most stoneware is not glazed on the underside (foot) of the item. When a piece of stoneware is submerged in water, the unglazed portion of the piece will absorb water and can facilitate the piece cracking. Also, harsh abrasives should never be used as this can remove some of the glazing, causing damage. If your stoneware has metal marks (light gray marks) from flatware, a mild silica clean will remove them. As with your other fine dinnerware, do not subject the stoneware to rapid temperature changes. This will cause it to crack or break.

When storing your china, porcelain, and glass dinnerware, try not to stack the items. If stacking is a necessity, use felt pads, napkins or even coffee filters to separate each dish. This will keep the foot of each piece from abrading the one underneath it.