The bar is often the centrepiece of a restaurant or hotel lobby, and it takes heavy use from both sides. Guests lean on it, spill on it and rest their feet on it, while staff work behind it at speed around sinks, ice and refrigeration. A good bar looks right from the guest side and works right from the staff side. Here is how the parts fit together and what to settle before it is drawn.
Bars are a joint effort. The underbar equipment, such as ice bins, sinks, glass washers and refrigeration, usually comes from the food service equipment supplier and is typically NSF-listed stainless steel. Health units may not accept laminate or wood cabinetry directly under wet underbar stations, so agree early where stainless ends and millwork begins. The millwork supplier builds the bar die, bar top, back bar and any cabinetry around the equipment. Settle that split early and get the equipment layout, with model numbers and sizes, before the millwork is drawn, since the bar die and top have to fit around the equipment with the right clearances and access.
Whatever the material, the front edge takes the most wear. Rounded, generous edges are more comfortable for guests leaning on the bar, and padded armrests are an option in hotel and lounge bars.
The bar die is kicked, scuffed and wiped every night, so the lower part needs protection: a durable kick plate, metal or stone base, or a recessed toe space. Footrails are usually metal, mounted on brackets fixed through the bar die into solid structure, so backing must be built into the die where the brackets go. Lit millwork is electrical equipment, so agree early with the electrical consultant how it will be approved and connected.
The back bar is display and storage. Bottle shelves need to be sized for the bottles and lit well, often with LED strips and mirrors or glass behind. Undercounter coolers give off heat and need ventilation, so follow the manufacturer’s clearances and build vent grilles into the millwork where the equipment calls for them. Glassware storage, the POS, printers and power for small appliances all need to be planned. Upper shelving needs solid backing in the wall; see wall blocking for millwork.
A bar brings together water, drains, floor drains, power, data and often insulated beer and soda trunk lines from a remote cooler. Lines run through chases in the bar die or under the floor, so plan access panels and conduit runs early. Ice bins, and often sinks and glass washers, typically drain indirectly to a floor sink or drain through an air gap, so leave access to those drains within the bar. Draft towers, glass washers and ice machines each have their own power and drain needs. Coordinate all of this on the shop drawings with the equipment supplier, plumber and electrician.
In Ontario, food premises are regulated under the Health Protection and Promotion Act. Anyone opening a food premises must notify the local medical officer of health, and many health units, such as Windsor-Essex, also require notice before reopening after a renovation and review floor plans. Their guidance for food premises typically covers:
Requirements and interpretations vary between health units, so check with the local unit and the food service consultant before the bar layout is finalized. Inside the bar, that usually means non-porous, sealed surfaces around sinks and ice, and a cleanable cabinet for chemicals away from the bar station.
Where guests order and pay at the bar, it acts as a service counter. In Ontario, new service counters fall under the province’s Design of Public Spaces Standards; see our cash wrap guide for what an accessible section involves. Confirm with the architect how the requirements apply to the bar and to any separate host stand.
We build bar dies, bar tops and back bars in our Vaughan plant, with CNC cutting, finishing, solid surface and integrated LED lighting in-house, and work with partners for metal and quartz. Our drafting team issues shop drawings for review before production, and they are the place to coordinate equipment, utilities and access. See restaurant and hospitality millwork, or send us your drawings.
The front wall of a bar, facing guests. It carries the guest-side finish and often a footrail, purse hooks and lighting, and conceals the equipment and utilities behind it.
It depends on the look and maintenance the owner wants. Solid surface is non-porous and repairable; quartz is very hard and stain resistant; wood is warm but needs a finish that resists water and alcohol, and occasional refinishing; metal tops give a distinctive look and can develop a patina.
Ice bins, sinks, glass washers and refrigeration usually come from the food service equipment supplier. The millwork supplier builds the bar die, bar top, back bar and cabinetry around the equipment, using the equipment layout and model numbers.
Health unit guidance for food premises typically calls for a separate hand wash sink, used only for hand washing, in each preparation area. Ask the local public health unit whether the bar needs its own, and plan the plumbing before the bar is drawn.
Usually on metal brackets fixed through the bar die into solid structure, so backing has to be built into the die where the brackets go.
