Transcript Document

Bar Design
Determining the size, shape, and
placement of the bar itself is a
design problem with two facets:
1. The element of décor, and;
2. The element of function
The size and shape of the bar, its
appearance, and its position in the
room are typically planned by the,
owner, architect, or interior designer
whose primary concerns are
layout and décor.
The working areas, where the
drinks are poured are planned by
facilities design consultant or by an
equipment dealer
Factors that affect the space in
assigning the bar location:
1. Drinks to be served;
2. Projected volume of business,
and;
3. Space and equipment needed to
serve the drinks
Parts of the Bar
A bar is made up of three parts:
1. Front Bar
2. Backbar
3. Underbar
Front Bar
The front bar is a customers’ area,
where they order their drinks and
where the drinks are served.
The bar is typically 16 to 18 inches
wide, with a surface that is
alcohol-proof and waterproof,
usually of laminated plastic. An
armrest along the front edge,
often padded, adds another 8
inches to its width.
The last few inches of the back
edge are usually recessed, and it
is here that the bartender pours
the drinks, to demonstrate liquor
brand and pouring skill. It is
known vigorously as the rail,
glass rail, drip rail, spill through.
The vertical structure supporting the
front bar, known as the bar die, is
like a wall separating the customer
from the working area. It forms a “T”
with the bar, making a kind of table
on the customer side, with the other
side shielding the underbar from
public view.
There is usually a footrest running
the length of the die on the customer
side about a foot off the ground.
The height of the front bar, 42 to
48 inches, is a good working
height for the bartender. It also
makes the front bar just right for
leaning against with one foot on
the footrest
If it is a sit-down bar, it will have
stools tall enough to turn the bar into
a table. Each stool is allotted a 2-foot
length of bar. The stools should look
and feel comfortable, often they have
upholstered backs and seats.
Since the seats are high off the
ground, the stools typically have
rungs for footrest, or else the
footrest of the bar is within reach of
the feet. Even numbers of stools
make it convenient for couples.
Backbar
The Backbar has a double function:
1. the decorative function of display
and;
2. the work function of storage.
Traditionally it is the area where
bottles of liquor and rows of
sparkling glasswares are displayed,
their splendor doubled by a mirror
behind them.
In the Old West – or at least in Old
West movies – the mirror had another
function: it showed the man at the bar
whether anyone was coming up
behind him, gun in hand.
The typical modern bar still
follows the same tradition of
bottles, glassware, and mirror.
Some people feel it is just not a
bar without them. There are
functional reasons too: the liquor
and glasswares are part of the
bartender’s working supplies, and
the barback is a good place to
display call brands as a subtle
form of merchandising.
The mirror adds depth to the
room; it also gives customers a
view of others at the bar and the
action going on behind them.
Bartenders sometimes use it too;
to observe customers without
being noticed.
New fashions in Backbar décor
are branching out to include
stained glass, paneled or textured
walls, murals, posters, wine racks,
mood pieces, and conversation
starters. Stemware hanging from
slotted racks overhead is popular
as a design element as well as for
functional glass storage.
The base of the Backbar is likely
to be storage space, refrigerated
or otherwise. Or it may house
special equipment such as glass
froster, an ice machine, or a
mechanical dishwasher.
If specially drinks are featured, the
frozen-drink or espresso machine
will probably be on top of the
Backbar.
The cash register is usually on the
Backbar too, in a recessed space.
Whatever its uses, the Backbar
must be visually pleasing from top
to bottom, since customers look
at it, and it must coordinate
visually with the décor of the room
as a whole.
Underbar
The underbar is the heart of the
entire beverage operation and
deserves the most careful
attention to its design.
In its space the equipment and
supplies for the products you are
selling must be arranged
compactly and efficiently with
speed the overriding concern.
Each bartender must have an
individual supply of pouring
liquor, ice, mixes, glasses,
blender, and garnishes, all within
arm’s reach in the pouring station.
Each pouring station has an ice
bin and one or more bottle racks
for the most-used liquors and
mixes.
The supply of glasses may be
upside down on the glass rail or
on drain boards near the ice bin or
on special glass shelves, or in
glass racks stacked beside the
station, or on the Backbar, or in
overhead racks, or in all these
places, grouped according to type
and size.
The blender, and probably a
mixer, may be on a recessed shelf
beside the ice bin, while the
garnishes are typically or in the
bar top in a special condiment
tray.
Where drinks are served from the main bar
for table service, the bar must always have
a pickup station – that is, a section of the
front bar by the pouring station set off from
the customers’ bar area, where serving and
personnel turn in and receive orders and
return empty glasses.
Otherwise they must elbow their way
through the customers; confusion reigns
and spills occur.
The pickup station should be near pouring
station and the cash register.
Another area of the underbar
contains equipment for washing
glasses – a three-compartment or
four-compartment sink with drain
boards on both sides, or in some
cases a mechanical dishwasher.
The underbar must also have
provision for waste disposal and a
hand sink. These are typical
health department requirements.
Underbar and Backbar together must
provide enough storage for the day’s
reserve supplies of liquor, mixes,
wines, beers, ice, garnishes, and
such non-beverage supplies as bar
towels, cocktail napkins, picks, and
stir sticks.
All these must be arranged so that
they require a minimum of movement:
movement is time and time can be
money.
Three feet is the customary
distance between the Backbar and
the underbar, to accommodate the
bartenders’ movements and the
opening of doors to storage
cabinets.
The doors must not be so wide
that they block passage when
open.
Storage areas must be available to
each bartender without interfering
with another’s movements.
Special drinks require special
planning for the equipment they need,
if you plan to have beer on tap, you
must place the standards (faucets) so
that they are easily accessible to the
bartender (but not to the customer),
and there must be refrigerated
storage space for each keg either at
the bar or in a nearby storage area
with lines bringing the beer to the bar.
Frozen-drink dispensers, ice
cream equipment, and glass
frosters have special space
requirements that must be
designed into the overall scheme.
Hidden but essential factors in underbar
and Backbar design are the plumbing and
electrical needs of the equipment.
Faucets, icemakers, soda guns, and
dishwashers need a water supply. Sinks,
refrigerators, glass frosters, ice bins,
icemakers, dishwashers, and waste
disposal need proper drainage.
Some equipment may need special
electrical wiring. All this must have ready
access for repairs.
The entrance to the bar is
sometimes made large enough to
accommodate the largest piece of
movable equipment, in case it has
to be replaced or repaired.
The smaller the access, the more
space is available for equipment,
so most often the entrance is a
hinged section of the bar top that
lift up.
Repairs are made in place, or
replacement equipment is lifted
over the bar when necessary.
Sometimes one end of the bar is
open, though this makes the
liquor supply more vulnerable to
tampering and makes control
more difficult.
Sometimes there is a doorway in
the backbar.
Bar Floor
Think about the bartenders’
comfort and safety in planning the
bar floor.
They are on their feet for hours
and you want them to look fresh
and smiling.
The floor under their feet must
have a nonporous surface, such
as tile or sealed concrete, to meet
sanitary code requirements.
Wood and carpeting are not
acceptable. A tile or concrete
surface is cold, hard and slippery
when wet.
As the evening wears on, ice
cubes, beer foam, soapy water,
debris from empty glasses, and
broken glass may accumulate.
Slotted plastic panels allow spills to
go down between the slats, to
minimize hazards of slipping.
They must be taken up for cleaning,
however, which is a nuisance and if it
isn’t done often they become stale
and unsanitary. They are also hard on
the feet.
Rubber or plastic mats minimize
slippage and are easy on the feet, but
they must also be cleaned frequently.
Size, Shape, and
Position in the Room
From the front of the front bar to
the back of the backbar, the
overall depth should usually be
about 8 feet.
The minimum length of the bar
should be determined from the
inside, according to equipment
needs.
Additional length and shape will
be determined from the outside,
according to the number of seats
(if there are seats) the size of the
room, and the overall design
requirements.
The inside factors are determined
mainly by the kinds of drinks
served and the number of stations
needed to meet peak volume.
The outside factors have to do
with your total concept, your
clientele, your décor, and the
available space.
Unfortunately, the last consideration – the
space available – is usually the tail that
wags the dog.
Often the space available is what is left
over after everything else has been
planned.
Many times an inadequate bar space will
limit what you can serve and how much,
thereby decreasing your drawing cards
and your profits.
Or it may require expensive and
complicated equipment solutions to
problems that would be simple to solve in
a larger space.
In sum, the best way to proceed is
to plan your drink menu first with
your clientele in mind. Figure
carefully the volume you can
expect at peak periods. Size your
bar to accommodate space and
equipment needs for these drinks
in that volume, or have a
specialist to do it.
If your facility is already built and
space is predetermined, it
becomes even more critical to
think through your bar design and
equipment to make the most
profitable use of the space you
have.
Again, your clientele and your
drink menu are your starting
points.
Bars can be many different
shapes – straight, curved, angled,
horseshoe, round, square, or freeform shape, too, is a decision
involving many factors – room
size and shape, mood, décor,
function.
Again, the functioning area of the
bar is often the stepchild of the
design. Unusual shapes are tricky.
Most underbar equipment is
factory-made in standard sizes
that may not work as well in
action. It can also cause problems
of maintenance and repair.
Usually a bar has its back to the wall,
but in a large room it may be the
centerpiece or focal point, a
freestanding square, round, oval, or
Irregular Island, with stations facing
in several directions and a backbar in
the middle. Obviously, an island bar
will have special design and the
underbar will be visible to the
patrons. There may be special
plumbing and electrical problems.
Whatever its shape, the bar’s
position in the room deserves as
much consideration as its shape
and size – and may affect both.
Consider the customers’ reactions
as they enter the room.
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