Bar Ready — Everything from bar equipment, bar licensing, inventory, bar glassware other bar accessories

Adding a bar to your restaurant is an immediate ROI builder. It will bring you more options for sales and give you a whole new clientele: people who want to drink at a bar. Additionally, this sub-segment can be a whole influx of afternoon and late-night business that family dining doesn’t allow for. Additionally, it provides solid incremental revenue because people don’t typically buy more than one entree. Still, they do buy more than one drink, lending it to having significantly more profit potential per transaction than a non-bar restaurant. But the way you play it is highly nuanced.

So, let’s discuss what you need for a successful bar. I can tell you from personal experience: I’ve transferred from a non-bar restaurant to a full-bar restaurant, and here’s everything I needed and wish I had known earlier.

The first and foremost thing you need to know is to build an actual bar. What do I mean by that? I mean, don’t build a little satellite nook. I mean, build a real bar. Build a bar that can stand on its own. Build a bar like you would if you were only a bar and nothing else because if you build it that way, as a primary revenue generator, it will function like one. That’s why a little satellite nook with three seats in the corner will not do you any favors. It’s going to look like the bush league, and it’s not going to return any investment.

The next rule is butts in seats lead to revenue. You will make more money if you can get 10, 12 or 15 seats at a bar. If you have some table or booth seating nearby, you can transfer those to a high-top table to create more of a bar vibe and then separate the bar from the restaurant with stub walls.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Bar Equipment:

Let’s start with the basics. Of course, you’re going to need a bar refrigerator. You will need a fridge even if you’re just a can-and-bottle beer bar, but don’t stop there. The amount of money you’ll get from a bottle of vodka versus a bottle of beer is exponentially better in terms of food cost percentage. So, it’s only worth doing a full-blown bar if you have a cocktail program.

Next, you’ll need a beverage dispensing system for beer or even wine. This is a different type of refrigerator than your bottle and can fridge. Additionally, with a draft system comes cleaning and setting up draught lines, which is a whole other expense in and of itself.

Next, you need a proper cocktail station. This will have a sink, speed rails, garnish station, and a section for all your small wares like shakers, strainers, muddlers, spoons and jiggers. Yes, you want to use all those items, and no, you should not buy them from a fancy store. You can get durable and simple items from a restaurant supply store.

Another mandate is that you’ll need an ice bin and potentially an ice maker, depending on how far your bar is from your current ice machine. Otherwise, you’ll need a big ice bin.

Here are some other things you might need, but not necessarily. An espresso machine for non-alcoholic drinkers or to infuse your cocktails. A blender, if you plan to offer frozen drinks and up lighting or neat shelves and inviting decor that makes the bar more than just a bar, but a place that people want to drink at the bar.

The bar furniture will also influence that. A stool without a back and cushion will not have a solid return on investment like a cozy, mahogany-bound chair. The nicer the furniture, the more you can charge for a gin and tonic.

Bar Glassware:

You’ll need pint glasses, rocks, Collins and martini glasses. Try to make them slightly different from the average to stand out and match your brand.

Licensing and permits:

Depending on which state you are in, you could be taking on a massive amount of cost. Proper signage on the bar, potentially a gated-off area, and the liquor license could cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Cocktail List R&D:

Also, consider the cost of building a solid program, taste tests, iterations, etc. Having a straight-up list of cocktails will get you in the door, but a curated cocktail list will separate you and bring intrigue and purpose to your bar program. This will require an actual bartender with some level of mixology and you documenting all the procedures; so, you are not bound to that single mixologist if they ever decide to leave your business.

For all these components to come together, the bar should be designed for efficiency and customer engagement. If you’re completely new to this and have the funds to do so, engaging a professional is not a bad idea.

Bar Staffing:

Do not try to turn regular servers into glorified servers that also work the bar. This rarely works. Bartenders need to be bartenders and dress the part. The beauty of a bartender is they’re behind the bar, so inherently, everyone knows that they’re working the bar. So, they don’t need to wear the standard casual uniform. They can add some flair to what they wear, which will work because people will know they are the bartender. So let your suspenders and hipster mustache go for broke behind the bar.

Inventory Management:

Another thing rarely included in a new bar is proper due diligence on how much product is wasted. You can simply go based on cash purchasing to verify your run rate, but having an assessment of how much waste you have, whether by calculating it yourself or using an inventory program, is a solid way to start off your bar program and know how much you’re wasting or losing to theft.

Insurance:

Additionally, you’ll need insurance. Insurance is not something to be taken lightly, and if you don’t get revised insurance when you add a bar, you could be setting yourself up for a cataclysmic event if something goes sideways on you.

So why do it?

All this takes a lot of planning and execution, but it is entirely doable and completely worth it. Look at all these tools as an opportunity to take on something different and be more than you were yesterday. But remember the cardinal rule of restauranting: If it’s not impressive, then by default, it is unimpressive, basic, and not worth anything. So, stand out and make the bar you want to drink at so that others will as well.