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

Although the average bar is about an eighth of the size of a commercial kitchen, it typically generates more beverages than the number of entrees, sides and appetizers produced in the back of the house.

Just as restaurant concepts differ, a bar’s design reflects its environment. “An urban bar will be totally different than a pool bar,” says David B. Hammersley, principal, TBCI Design, St. Petersburg, Fla. “While one bar may be experience related, another will focus on speed of service.”

And much like the customers they serve, bar designs will continue to change and evolve over time. “We used to build bars specifically for speed and how fast drinks can be served. It was more about efficiency than presentation, but that has changed quite a bit,” says Silver Tree Gordon, chief operations officer, Solo Operations Management Group, Denver. “In the last decade, the trend has been over-the-top bar presentation, with a more detailed, lighted backbar, custom colors and fixtures, and upscale liquor presentation.” 

Yes, the bar must look great, but it must also hold the appropriate amount of liquor and have space for enough bartenders, explains Ryan Dahlstrom, president/founder, The Bar Experts, Las Vegas. This is not an either-or scenario. Bar design must accommodate both factors because failure to do so negatively impacts efficiency.

Primary Considerations

Like kitchens, menu and concept drive the bar design, followed by the allocated space. It is recommended that everything be located within a 5-degree radius of the bartender for accessibility. “Designers must acclimate to the budget and needs of the bar,” Hammersley says. “Most bars are undersized, so it’s key to keep real population top of mind.”

This takes into account not just the number of stools but also the number of tables in the bar area as well as inside and outside dining sections. Before designing a bar, Dahlstrom looks at what products the operation will offer and the available real estate. “For example, if it’s liquor-centric, we’ll need the backbar to have space for spirits,” he says. “With smaller footprints, the offerings may need to be pared down.” The speed rail contains the main beverages the bar sells, while the backbar holds backup bottles to restock the service well.

If the waitstaff gets all beverages from the bar rather than from the kitchen or another area, consider how the additional volume and employee traffic will impact the bar design, Hammersley notes. “In some cases, a dual-sided cocktail station may be needed for bartenders and waitstaff to work more efficiently.”

Gordon says he likes to get a good feel for the concept, which then leads to decor and concept branding and determines what materials are necessary. “Beyond that, we will have detailed conversations about product offerings, price points, the number of bottles on the backbar and what’s on draft,” Gordon notes. “More bars have huge selections — and that’s wonderful —but this makes it very difficult to adhere to a philosophy that bartenders should be able to serve everything on a pivot point.”

When considering product offerings in relation to space and accessibility, Gordon ranks the backbar bottles on the likelihood of repeat service, creating more accessible storage space for bottles most often in use. “We amortize the layout based on frequency,” he says. 

Equipment location and needs differ, depending on the project. “Also, a bar with three bartenders will have three identical workstations that can produce everything,” Gordon says. “You don’t want all the domestic beer at the far end of the bar out of reach.”

In the past, entire bars would be built around a popular beer brand, but today’s bar designs center on easy serving and restocking. “It all goes back to what’s being served and the type of venue,” Dahlstrom says. “If it’s a beer bar, storage is needed for bottles and cans. Martini bars require space for glassware.”

Safety represents another factor to weigh with bar design, as this is typically a fast-paced service area. “Equipment like beer coolers with hinged doors are low storage units,” Dahlstrom says. “So when bartenders are opening the doors for loading, other bartenders can trip or run into hinges, injuring shins.”

Ice machine placement can present another trip-and-fall hazard. “Bringing ice barrels from the back of house that can leak around a dance floor or seating area or cause ice spillage is an issue,” Dahlstrom says. “That’s why we make sure there’s room for an ice machine by the bar or extra wells for ice stocking.”

The Yuengling Draft Haus & Kitchen in Tampa features an island bar with wrap-around seating so guests have a view of the action behind the bar.

Critical Components and Layout

Successful bar designs ensure cocktail stations have the right components in the proper order and understand the operation and job of a bartender. “All items should be a step to a step-and-a-half away,” Hammersley says. “It’s better to go with multiple station components that are customized to the operation and bartender.” 

Gordon recommends that instead of focusing on the look and feel of the bar, the design should cater to efficiency of service and product offerings. This is the case no matter the operation or the number of bars within it.

“Regardless of how many bars are in the venue, we design the inside of each to look and work the exact same way,” Dahlstrom says. “This ensures it’s systematic and easy for staff who may be moved around from the restaurant bar to the lounge to the nightclub.” He designs the setup of soda guns, liquor and equipment identically for each location, so efficiency isn’t compromised, and there’s no confusion about where everything is located.

“My formula is ‘margin times occupancy times popularity’ to determine facility capability,” Gordon says. “A casual martini bar is based around the cocktail station, as we want mixologists to have all ingredients around the well.”

With bar designs, ice is a big consideration that has become more comprehensive due to the different types available. “We will have whole conversations with clients about ice to understand shapes and consistencies of cubes,” Hammersley says. Preferably, ice should be clear and melt slowly so as not to dilute higher-end beverages, like bourbon and whiskey. The larger the ice cube is, the slower it melts.

Gordon adds that the well is more than just an ice container with a rack of six bottles around it. “Wells at nice cocktail bars are custom and allow bartenders to do all their work right there,” he says. “It’s important to give bartenders a good workstation in reach of everything.”

This means a high-volume bar should have beer bottle boxes for storing large quantities of each brand. The design should take into account the number of beer cans or bottles that require storage, whether there are draft beverages and, if so, what type of line is needed and how drinks will be dispensed. 

For larger beverage menus, backbar coolers are an option. Although bar layouts differ depending on the operation, Hammersley typically locates cocktail stations in the center, syrup rails out front and soda guns inside stations with glass storage nearby. “Bars can be run right to left or left to right,” Hammersley explains. “There should be space for syrups, glass rinsers, scraps and adequate refrigeration.”

This outdoor bar is self-contained for added efficiency.

Equipment Logistics

With space at a premium, there may need to be equipment tradeoffs, but this should happen without compromising efficiency. Yet when designing the bar, there are some space-saving equipment choices. “Bar designs have moved from including three bowl sinks, which took up space and wash time, to undercounter dish machines that can keep the pace,” Gordon says. 

Locating a dish machine at the bar instead of or in addition to a dishwashing area has some drawbacks, however. “We don’t like dishwashers behind bars, preferring these to be in the back of house,” Dahlstrom says. “These are loud, and hot steam can be a safety hazard.”

When a bar is the sole beverage station, it should include a service well where staff can access nonalcoholic beverages. “This should be close to, but not behind, the bar,” Dahlstrom says. “There needs to be a separate station so service of alcoholic beverages is not interrupted.” He recommends either a big, two-sided drop-in ice well if servers are sharing this area with bartenders or a dedicated ice drop or machine for nonalcoholic beverages. This way, staff won’t walk through crowds with ice refills.

Providing proper ice capacity at the bar is critical, yet having enough space for an ice maker that is large and noisy presents challenges. “Staff can harvest cube ice from machines to store in freezer drawers behind the bar,” Hammersley says.

For high-end establishments with specialty bourbons and whiskey, Hammersley will specify multiple ice machines. “It’s important to see how much room there is for equipment,” Dahlstrom says.

Over the last five years, Hammersley has seen an increase in the popularity of glass frosters that run off carbon dioxide. “This freezes the inside of glassware instantly but also sanitizes it,” he says. We’re seeing more glass rinsers being built into bars.” While the design should focus on efficiency and safety, aesthetics and equipment purchases are contingent on budget.