Opening and managing a bar is a daunting task. The type of equipment you buy and the arrangement is extremely important. An efficient bar is a profitable bar. Lets look at some of the options you have to make your bar the best it can be.
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Backbar Coolers
Backbar Refrigerators are the key to any successful bar. You need to keep your drinks cold and have them ready to serve quickly. Ample storage space is important so you have the drinks that are ordered. These allow you to store both can and bottled beer. Some bartenders use this equipment to chill certain liquors as well. Backbar coolers come in solid and glass door models. Most restaurants and bars choose glass doors to display beer selections and solid doors for storage of mixers. Solid door models are hidden in a darkened bar and hide dings well. -
Bottle Coolers
These horizontal bottle coolers are designed with enduring quality and value. These units are a necessity for high volume as they provide easy access for the buy bartender or bar back. Bottle Coolers chill from the top down so newly added bottles or cans get chilled first, and your customers will always get a nice cold beer. -
Draft Beer
Trues oversized and balanced refrigeration system with extra large evaporator performs in the hottest, most humid climates - excellent for all tropical beach bars. Draft beer units come in a variety of sizes, from 1 to 4 kegs. Bars with more than 4 draft beer choices can store the more kegs in a walkin cooler, then run lines to the draft unit. -
Bar Sinks
You need to have a bar sink to wash glasses and dispose of excess liquids.
Bar sinks are smaller than regular sinks to fit neatly under you bar.
They come with 1 to 4 bowls. Drainboards are optional and can serve as drying racks for you glasses. -
Cocktail Units
Cocktail units provide you with a space to hold your mixes and ice.
You can also put speed rails on the front to hold you most common liquor. Cold plate units are used to keep ice cold and run fountain drinks through to keep beverages cold when dispensing, eliminating foam from the soda gun. Standard units use insulation to keep ice cold but don not provide the chill needed for soft drinks. -
Glass Washers
A typical bar uses many, many types of glasses per hour. In order to keep them clean and in use, you need to use a glass washer in combination with a bar sink. -
Blenders
Bar blenders are used to produce drinks, from daiquiris and margaritas, to smoothies and shakes. They are used to crush the ice and to mix the fruit.
You will need several and horsepower is an important consideration if making ice heavy drinks. -
Ice Caddy
Indoors or outdoors, in heat or humidity, these sleek models keep their cool and can hold ice cold for days.
They provide reliability, value and safer holding for up to 175 lbs. of ice.
Bar blenders have just one function. They turn ice, liquid, and fruit, into creamy, smooth, frozen cocktails. Of course most bar blenders can do more than that, but creating frozen drinks is their primary function. To do the task, a bar blender needs a motor of somewhere between ½ and 1 horsepower. Consistency from drink to drink is important, as is ease of operation. So a simple on/off switch, and perhaps a high and low power switch is all that’s really needed. A pulse feature gives the user a bit more control, and a timer with auto shut-off really ensures blend consistency.
Food Blenders are designed to do a much greater variety of tasks than a bar blender, with a greater variety of ingredients. A food blender can be used to blend frozen fruits for a smoothie, puree cooked vegetables for a soup, chop fresh vegetables for a salsa, or grind dry grains into flour for artisan baking. Power settings and timing will be different for each application. To allow maximum flexibility in the kitchen, most food blenders have a larger motor, typically 3 horsepower, with a wider variety of speeds. A variable speed dial with pulse action provides chefs with complete control, and a chop function runs the blades at an extra slow speed to chop, rather than puree, foods.
There are many models that blur the lines between bar blenders and food blenders. Blenders are extremely versatile pieces of equipment. Extra powerful bar blenders, with additional features for high volume and specialty applications, can perform many tasks in the kitchen. Similarly, an entry-level food blender, stripped free of extra features, may begin to look more like a bar blender.
Food Blenders are designed to do a much greater variety of tasks than a bar blender, with a greater variety of ingredients. A food blender can be used to blend frozen fruits for a smoothie, puree cooked vegetables for a soup, chop fresh vegetables for a salsa, or grind dry grains into flour for artisan baking. Power settings and timing will be different for each application. To allow maximum flexibility in the kitchen, most food blenders have a larger motor, typically 3 horsepower, with a wider variety of speeds. A variable speed dial with pulse action provides chefs with complete control, and a chop function runs the blades at an extra slow speed to chop, rather than puree, foods.
There are many models that blur the lines between bar blenders and food blenders. Blenders are extremely versatile pieces of equipment. Extra powerful bar blenders, with additional features for high volume and specialty applications, can perform many tasks in the kitchen. Similarly, an entry-level food blender, stripped free of extra features, may begin to look more like a bar blender.