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.

Choosing the Right Bar Equipment Part 1 – Bar Refrigeration

Choosing the right bar equipment is essential to your business. In a series of articles I am going to focus on what I feel are the four most essential categories of bar equipment: bar refrigeration, bar blenders, bar sinks and beer equipment.

In this first bar equipment article let’s discuss bar refrigeration. Common types of bar refrigerators you will see at most bars are back bar coolers, bottle coolers, draft beer dispensers and glass chillers.

Back bar coolers are available in a variety of sizes and configurations. Back bar coolers are available with solid doors, glass doors and combinations of the two. Back bar coolers with glass doors allow proprietors to display their product in a visually appealing manner. Solid door back bar coolers are ideal for storing garnishes, mixers and overflow product.

Another indispensible bar equipment fixture is the bottle cooler. Bottle coolers are great for quick access to bottled and canned beverages, and can accommodate a wide range of case quantities. Sliding lids and optional bar equipment accessories for bottle coolers, such as mounted bottle openers and cap catchers, ensure easy and efficient access to your most popular bottled and canned beverages.

Draft beer dispensers feature built-in draft towers, allowing you to easily access and serve keg beer. Serv-U’s bar equipment department offers draft beer dispensers that will hold up to four kegs of beer. Optional draft towers with multiple faucets are also available, allowing you to access multiple kegs simultaneously. Some draft beer dispensers even offer a club-top feature, which allows for bottle cooler-like access to beverages stored in the unit.

Glass frosters bring added value to your chilly beverages. Beer just seems to taste better and go down more smoothly when it’s served in a frosted mug. Also here is a time saving tip: If you load your glasses into the glass froster when they are dry, they will frost more quickly.

Related Articles:
Choosing the Right Bar Equipment Part 2: Bar Blenders
Choosing the Right Bar Equipment Part 3: Bar Sinks
Choosing the Right Bar Equipment Part 4: Beer Equipment

Whether you’re redesigning your current bar set-up or building a completely new one, there are several items that need to be considered when laying out your bar equipment and bar supplies to improve the efficiency of your bartenders.

Sometimes it is easy to forget that the object of a bar design is not just to serve as a centerpiece for the bar but to allow the bartender quick and efficient access to the bar equipment and bar supplies that they will need to serve the customer in a timely fashion. A bar with poorly laid out bar equipment and bar supplies can have a huge negative impact on customer service which can ultimately lead to the failure of the business.

The first step is to determine what pieces of bar equipment and bar supplies need grouped together. Generally if the bartender has to take three or four steps to get anything he needs for one drink then there may be design issues negatively effecting the bar design. Common items that bartenders need access to on a regular basis can include; glassware, ice well, back bar cooler, beer taps, soft-drink gun, cocktail equipment, and the speed rail would be included in this list.

Once you have determined which pieces of bar equipment and bar supplies need grouped together it becomes an exercise in laying out the bar equipment and bar supplies in a manner that best utilizes the space behind the bar and doesn’t clutter up the bar counter. The back bar, that area located outside of customer view, should hold commonly restocked items such as bottled beer, liquors and spirits as well as those liquors and spirits that a bartender rarely uses so that they don’t take up his premium space. An exception to this rule would be top shelf premium liquors and spirits that rarely get used but give the bar area that conversation piece and image of class.

Serv-u offers a design-a-bar service that stands ready to help you design your bar area. Simply call Serv-U and a member of our qualified sales staff will be happy to assist you in determining what underbar bar equipment will help you achieve an efficient work area for your bartenders in the space you have available. Once our sales staff has determined what underbar bar equipment you need, Serv-U will then provide you with a full AutoCAD layout of the specified bar equipment and quotation at no charge.