Today’s bar designs focus on both customer experience and bartender efficiency.

Whether you’re talking about the expected (resorts, private clubs, hotels) or unexpected (eatertainment, anyone?), the term “high-end” becomes a common way to describe a variety of properties these days. But just because a place calls itself “high-end,” doesn’t make it so.

Bars come in all shapes and sizes and play a vital role in the success of the hospitality industry.

We all know the scene. It’s a busy Friday or Saturday night and a customer bellies up to the bar at a restaurant or hotel but sees no open seats or spots from which to get the bartender’s attention. Then, alas, they spy the little area at the bar with a stainless-steel top with holes in it where the bartender places a bunch of ready-to-go drinks and tickets. Surely, they think, it’s OK to stand and order there.

From a guest’s perspective, creating the perfect bar seems fairly straightforward. Put together the right spirits, staff and ambiance and — presto! — instant bar. But like so many things in life, the magic lies in the details, most of which those grabbing a handcrafted cocktail or their favorite beer have no idea exist. Nor do they understand the work that took place to make that perfection happen.

The concept of restaurant dining rooms operating at reduced capacity paired with social distancing requirements bring to the table a variety of challenges for operators.

Blueprint on 3rd, Birmingham, Ala.

There’s no doubt bar operations will eventually spring back to life when communities allow these businesses to reopen. That’s because bars have played a prominent role in American socialization dating all the way back to the colonial period. By surviving Prohibition and even the notorious fern era, bars have proven resilient time and time again. That said, when bars do come back online, bartenders will likely find the post-pandemic world to be different from the last time they shouted last call.

In a small but growing number of beer-centric operations, there’s no longer anything standing between the customer and a cold one — no server to wait for, no angling to get a bartender’s attention. Customers simply walk up and tap their own, free and empowered via technology to control their beer-loving destinies.