Bar Equipment Checklist

Having the proper bar equipment is essential to operating a successful bar. It can be difficult to know exactly what types of bar equipment you will really need. Serv-U recommends the following types of bar equipment to all bar owners: a commercial bar sink, a commercial bar blender, a commercial ice machine and a commercial back bar cooler.

Commercial bar sinks are available in a variety of sizes and can feature up to four sink bowls. The size of commercial bar sink you purchase should be based on the average number of patrons served in your bar at one time. The right size commercial bar sink will allow you to easily and efficiently clean and rinse bar glasses.

A quality commercial bar blender is often considered a bartender’s best friend. There are a variety of drinks that can be prepared in a commercial bar blender, and by adding frozen drinks to your menu you can appeal to a wider group of customers. Beverages made with fresh fruit purees can also be made with commercial bar blenders, allowing you to serve terrific, fresh-tasting drinks.

No bar can operate successfully without a reliable commercial ice machine. Whether you choose a compact, self-contained or undercounter commercial ice machine you will want to make sure that the commercial ice machine’s daily production rate can meet the demand of your bar. Serv-U recommends that you allow for 3 pounds of ice, per person, in a bar setting.

A back bar cooler allows you to keep refrigerated bottled and canned beverages, beverage mixers and fresh garnishes within easy reach at all times. Back bar coolers are available with solid or glass doors. One benefit to glass door coolers is that they can offer an attractive way to display product for your customers. A glass door cooler can help to reduce energy costs, as your employees can see the contents of the back bar cooler without having to open the doors of the cooler. 

As you setup and begin to operate your bar, you may find that additional types of bar equipment are needed to optimize your bar’s performance. A few other pieces of bar equipment that you may find beneficial are wine coolers, frozen beverage machines, draft beer dispensers and bottle coolers.

Bar Blender Basics

Below are some points to consider when purchasing one of the most essential pieces of bar equipment, the bar blender. Commercial blenders offer many features for making custom frozen drinks. Using programmable controls, speed/power sequences, variable speed pulse options, automatic ramping and shut-off, as well as digital readouts, commercial blenders should deliver smooth and consistent beverages with little operator assistance.

Just a few things to consider before purchasing a commercial blender:

Horsepower – Choose a blender with at least a 2-HP motor, a blender with less horsepower will chop the ice into irregular sized pieces.

Controls – Blenders that produce perfect frozen drinks feature advanced electronics that automate the duration, speed, sequence and power level of each blending step.

Customization Capabilities – Blenders that offer custom programming provide consistent blending, while freeing-up busy bartenders.

Material and Design – For superior performance, a professional blender should have blades with sealed ball-bearing assemblies of the highest-grade stainless steel that maintains a honed, unbreakable edge, regardless of the hardness of ice or frozen ingredients. For safety, select units equipped with overheating protection. Blender base units with seamless, touch-sensitive panels offer protection from harmful bacterial growth and are easy to clean.

Containers – Blender containers should be built to fill to capacity and still blend drinks well. They should be tough, yet easy to clean. Polycarbonate is the industry-preferred material because it’s durable and ingredients can be seen while blending.

Drink Volume – The number and types of drinks that are served should be considered when purchasing blender equipment. If the volume will exceed 100 drinks per day, a pre-programmed portion ice shaver blender should be purchased so that ice is added automatically, preferably by ingredient weight. If serving 50-100 drinks per day, try a pre-programmed machine blending station for fast and efficient service. If you are making very thick frozen drinks, make sure the blender container is designed for extreme blending conditions.

Do You Practice Proper Wine Service?

Executing proper wine service can be intimidating for some servers. However, you don’t have to be a wine connoisseur yourself to properly serve a bottle of wine. Below is a general overview on how to properly serve a bottle of wine.

1. When someone at your table orders a bottle of wine, that individual is considered to be the host of the table. While taking the wine order, be sure to make eye contact with the host and repeat the wine choice, vintage, and vineyard to clarify their order.

2. Once you have the order, make sure you have an accurate count of wine glasses. If they are not already on the table, make sure they are completely polished and ready for service prior to bringing them to the table.

3. Prior to approaching the table with the wine, double-check the name of the wine, vintage, and vineyard to ensure your have the correct bottle. Also make sure that you have a folded napkin and a waiter’s corkscrew.

4. As you approach the table with the host’s selection, make sure the bottle of wine is lying on the folded napkin, with the label facing up towards your host. Position yourself to the right of the host and repeat the name of the wine, vintage, and vineyard to the host.

5. Once the host approves of the bottle, take the folded napkin and place it on the forearm of the hand in which you are holding the bottle. While holding the bottle by its neck, take your corkscrew knife and cut the foil off the top of the bottle just underneath the lip on the bottle neck. Use the folded napkin to wipe any debris or dust from the lip of the bottle before beginning to extract the cork. Place your corkscrew into the cork and turn clockwise while applying pressure. Once you have gotten down to about 3/4 of the depth of the corkscrew, stop, and hold the neck of the bottle with one hand, while pulling up the corkscrew with the other. Make sure the label is always facing the host.

6. Once the cork has been extracted from the bottle set the cork to the right of your host for their approval. Before you begin to pour a 1-2 oz. taste for your host, use the folded napkin to again wipe the lip of the bottle from any cork debris or residue.

7. Once the host approves of the wine, begin to pour each of the guests starting with the ladies and then the men going clockwise around the table from the left of the host. Always finish with the host regardless of their sex.

Bar Equipment for a Busy Bar: Frozen Drink Machines

Frozen beverage machines are an ideal piece of bar equipment for bars that serve daiquiris and margaritas. Many frozen beverage machines allow the user to easily set the machine to make icy, frozen beverages or chilled beverages. This is a great feature for bars that specialize in margaritas, as you can easily dispense and serve your customers’ favorite drinks frozen or on the rocks.

Most frozen beverage machines are available in single, double or triple hopper form. With multiple hoppers you can easily offer multiple types of daiquiris and margaritas to your customers. Frozen beverage machines are also available in manual and automatic refill designs. Any piece of bar equipment with automated features can be a time saving device in busy bars.

Many frozen beverage machines feature touchpad displays, making them a very simple piece of bar equipment to operate. These displays also guide users on cleaning and preventative maintenance, making the frozen beverage machines extremely user friendly.

Looking Beyond the Beer Mug

You are probably already aware that specialty, craft beers are increasing in popularity in bars all across the country. These beers are often seen being served in an assorted variety of pilsner glasses, pint glasses, footed glassware, mugs and steins and snifters. However, do you know that the style of glassware in which the beer is served offers more than just an aesthetically pleasing beverage?

According to CraftBeer.com the glass in which a beer is served helps to enhance the beer’s flavor, aroma and head. How do you know which type of beer to serve in which glass? Easy, just use CraftBeer.com’s online beer glassware guide. The interactive tool allows you to click on a style of glassware, and then offers suggested types of beers that will benefit from that particular style of glass.

Once you have figured out which types of glassware are best suited to your bar’s beer offerings, click on over to Serv-U’s glassware section to purchase the glassware you need at the most competitive price.

Facebook Turns Virtual Drinks into Real Drinks

If you have ever received a virtual gift from a friend on Facebook, such as a stuffed animal, cocktail or a cupcake, you may have wished that the virtual gift was the real thing.

Well wish no more – a company called Bartab now makes that possible. Bartab allows users on Facebook to purchase drink vouchers for their friends that can be redeemed at participating bars and restaurants. The drink vouchers are inexpensive, costing the sender and recipient only $1.00 each ($1.00 to send and $1.00 to redeem).

This innovative marketing initiative involves social networking, cell phones and face-to-face interaction as forms of engagement. You send and receive the certificates on Facebook, then use a cell phone application or text message to redeem it from the bartender or server.

Right now there is no cost to the restaurants or bars who participate in Bartab’s Facebook application. According to Bartab’s website, restaurants and bars decide which drinks they would like to offer on Facebook, and keep the recipients $1.00 paid when they redeem their voucher. It has been noted that most recipients redeeming their drink vouchers will often purchase additional beverages or food while at the bar, and will typically bring friends or co-workers to the bar with them.

Bartab believes the service is smart for both consumers and bars. Users get inexpensive drinks and connections with friends, while bars get new customers at a low cost. At the moment, Bartab is available only in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas and in New York, but Bartab is planning to add 17 markets in the next few months, including Seattle, Atlanta and Houston.

Learn more about how Bartab can increase traffic in your bar or restaurant by visiting their website: http://bartab.webtab.com/

How to Choose a Citrus Juicer

A citrus juicer is one piece of bar equipment that comes in different sizes and forms. When considering what type of citrus juicer to purchase, there are several criteria you may want to take into consideration: Price, frequency, type of citrus fruit and time.

The two basic types of citrus juicing bar equipment are a manual lever press juicer and a motorized reamer juicer. The most notable difference between these two types of juicers, aside from their manual or motorized nature, is their price points. Manual lever press juicers are typically less expensive than motorized juicers, making the manual juicer the more affordable piece of bar equipment.

Frequency of use should also be considered when purchasing this piece of bar equipment. You may need to look towards your drink menu and sales history to get an idea of how much freshly squeezed citrus juice you use on a daily basis. Those bars that use quite a bit of citrus juice may find a motorized reamer juicer to be more efficient. 

You should also ask yourself what type of citrus fruits you intend to juice. Larger, thicker rinded citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits will require a larger citrus juicer. Smaller citrus fruits like lemons and limes are typically easier to juice with a manual juicer.

You should also consider how much time you are willing to invest towards juicing citrus fruits. For a more efficient juicing experience, bar owners will want to invest in a motorized piece of bar equipment. Those that don’t mind taking a bit more time to get the most juice out of their fruit will appreciate the manual piece of bar equipment.

Modular Bar Equipment Allows for Easy Customization

Creating a bar equipment layout that fits your exact needs is easier than ever with the use of modular bar equipment. In an economic climate where custom fabrication is not always an affordable option, the use of modular bar equipment can be a cost efficient solution to getting the bar equipment layout you desire.

Modular bar equipment allows you to easily create a custom layout specific to your bar’s needs. Modular bar equipment pieces include sinks, blender stations, drainboards, bottle wells and multi-functioning units. Modular bar equipment units typically come with pre-drilled holes, making it easy to mount individual modular units to one another. Each piece of modular bar equipment is typically designed so that it can be used as a free-standing piece of bar equipment as well.

Decorative Bar Equipment: Service Rails and Bar Rails

Add a footrail or handrail to your bar with bar rail and fittings in either brass or chrome finishes. Bar rails offer an easy way to update the look of your bar, and are available in different textures and finishes to complement your bar equipment and existing décor. Bar rails and fittings install easily and can be modified to fit your bar’s existing layout.

Create a waitress stall or a service stall at your bar in a matter of moments. Service bar rail is available in brass and chrome finishes, so you can easily coordinate with your existing bar equipment and overall décor. Service bar rails can be permanently mounted to your bar, or choose a service bar rail set that attaches with suction cups and clamps without defacing your bar.

Bar Equipment Storage Solutions – Glass Racks

Bar equipment that helps to organize and provide storage is key to the efficiency of your bar and bar employees. Glass racks are a great piece of bar equipment because they allow you to safely access and store your glassware.

Glass racks, like most bar equipment items, are available in many different shapes and sizes. Most glass racks are designed to be suspended from the ceiling or mounted to some type of overhead structure in your bar. With glass racks available in brass, chrome and black finishes you can be certain to find a glass rack that will easily coordinate with your existing bar equipment and bar décor.

Glass racks are typically thought of to store stemmed glassware, however Serv-U also sells backbar glass racks that will accommodate your non-stemmed glassware as well. These backbar glass racks feature removable, sliding glass racks that provide easy access to pilsner glasses, hi-ball glasses, rocks glasses and bar tumblers.