The design and layout of a bar must tell a story and reflect one’s personality. Although designing a stylish and trendy space with unique bar accessories can be challenging and time-consuming, the results will blow your mind. The way a bar looks and its ambiance & barware contribute immensely to setting the tone for the guests’ experience. A successful bar layout is all about aesthetics and functionality.
An ideal bar design incorporates the ambiance of the whole space including the relationship and balance between lighting, bar accessories set, music, barware, seating arrangement, floor layout, bar cabinet, and the customizations that will make the bar more appealing and unique. Apart from this, there are other practical elements that must be taken into account like equipment, suppliers, tools, foundational infrastructure, and so forth.
Planning the layout and design of a bar is no easy job. Above that, flaws can have a severe impact on both workflow and revenue. However, certain design strategies have proven to be successful for various scenarios and directed a bar toward success.
What Bar Supplies to Incorporate in Your Bar Design?
Any dedicated bar will make sure they invest in the right bar equipment, supplies, and bar accessories set that are specifically designed for the bar area. Most of these units and equipment take much less space and have their specific bartending purposes. Whether your plan is to serve craft cocktails or well liquor, domestic brews, and small plates, you’ll be needing a checklist to get all the bar equipment and bar accessories to get your bar running.
1. Back Bar Coolers & Underbar Refrigeration Units
These units are essential for any kind of bar or home bar designs and they are specifically designed to fit easily underneath a bar counter for stocking beer, juices, liquors, and sodas. There are several designs and patterns available in this category. You can choose according to your needs, space, and aesthetics.
● Underbar Refrigeration Unit
Underbar or under counter refrigeration units are the best way to utilize space in a bar setup. You can choose from solid or glass door refrigeration units. Furthermore, you can go for thermal doors or triple-paned glass to maximize the efficiency of the unit while avoiding the risk of shatters or cracks caused by any accidental bump. Organize the items neatly and face the bottle labels forward so that customers can have a proper view while selecting without any assistance before they order.
● Draft Beer Cooler (and Dispensing Tower Heads)
Direct draw draft beer coolers are quite common when it comes to dispensing systems for restaurants. They are included in modern bar accessories and maintain all the equipment’s components in one place instead of storing them in separate coolers. This cooler keeps your keg a few feet from the faucet (probably in a refrigerated unit underneath) and carbon dioxide is injected to provide a push to the beer and through the tap line. These systems have around 5 feet of tubing work that provides efficiency and ease of maintenance. These systems can be employed in various situations however they work most fluently for bars that store their beer selection underneath the counter. They are ideal for portable bars too. This is because kegs do not need a separate specialized cooler room.
Last but not the least, add tower heads for dispensing beer. These are available in various designs for dispensing different beers.
● Wine Cooler
Next in line with bar accessories is the wine cooler. These coolers are known for specialized glass door refrigeration that intends to store and display wines only. You can place bottles horizontally or at a particular angle from where the labels are visible to the customers. Make sure labels face outwards. These units are set at a specific temperature ideal for storing wine and that may not comply with the normal refrigeration ranges of other refrigerators.
Some of these units come with drawers that can be pulled out with circular indentations for the stability of wine bottles.
● Glass Chiller
While shopping for the ideal bar accessories, glass chillers should be at the top of your checklist. There is an extensive range of models of plates and glass chillers that can easily be accommodated underneath the bar. This will provide you with ease of access and perfect your glass-chilling duties.
2. Sinks/Dishwashing
There are several options available in sinks and dishwashers when it comes to serving a bar area. The compatibility between these units and your bar area will depend on factors like health code restrictions, space constraints, and other bar requirements. Here are some suggested bar accessories and equipment you can choose from.
