Posts Tagged ‘suppliers’

Pubs and Bars – Getting into Food

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

By Richard N Williams

You don’t need me to tell you that the pub and bar trade is suffering. What, with the smoking ban, recession and cuts to public spending, many businesses are suffering. It’s no surprise that many traditional pubs and drinks only bars are beginning to diversify.

Serving food is one way many pubs and bars are able to generate extra revenue and prevent them from being one of the pubs that coses down every single day in the UK.

But getting into food can be fraught with pitfalls and challenges, which for the experienced can be daunting. Not only do you have to find a chef, buy kitchen equipment for bars and get the food in, there are a myriad of certificates and approvals needed from local authorities.

However, while I can’t assist you in selecting a chef, or dealing with the local council – I can provide you with some tips for buying kitchen equipment for bars and pubs:

The best thing to do is to split the process into three:

Many Pubs are now serving food

Many Pubs are now serving food

The Customer

There are few pieces of bar equipment required when the customer first enters. The first is the menu. To avoid printing costs and regular amendments the simplest solution is to use a blackboard. These menuboards can either be used for the entire menu of to place specials on.

Cutlery for bars is another item that will be needed before the customer can start their meal. Make sure all cutlery is stainless steel as it is easy to clean and more hygienic. Only but good quality cutlery otherwise it will have to be regularly replaced; condiment holders likewise.

The Kitchen

To establish the equipment required it is best to speak to the chef, after-all they will be using it and know exactly what is needed. But there are basics for the pub kitchen; knives, chopping boards and other utensils.

As for cooking equipment, a good over, hob and deep fat fryer are a must for most traditional pub menus. Chef wear is also important to ensure hygiene in the kitchen

The Service

Service trays or even trolleys should be used if you haven’t got experienced waiting staff, otherwise accidents will be inevitable. Food warmers are also a good idea, especially for when it is busy as it prevents dishes and meals getting cold.

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Posted in Bar Ideas, equipping bar, hotel and bar equipment, kitchen equipment, restaurant bar | 3 Comments »

Bar Housekeeping Tips – Keeping the Bar Clean

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

By Richard N Williams

The bar is the heart of any pub, restaurant and hotel. It is a place for meeting, relaxing and socialising and a good bar will do just as much for an establishment’s reputation as a bad bar will to tarnish it.

Hygiene and cleanliness are therefore essential in helping ensure a bar is a nice place to be. Cleaning the bar in itself can be a challenge, especially in a busy establishment which is why it is important to ensure you have the right bar equipment and accessories to ensure the bar is kept clean and dry.

Spills

Prevention is so much easier than cure, especially when it comes to spills and moisture on the bar. Nothing will infuriate a customer than his or her sleeve becoming sodden with spills.

Drip trays are essential for underneath beer pumps. Not just because it will help ensure beer isn’t dripped over the bar surface but also it will prevent spills on the floor which can be a hazard for bar staff. But also bar trays should be considered for the bar too. Not all bar trays are unattractive either. They are often produced in brass or other metals to provide the right aesthetics for a bar.

But drip trays are not the only solution when it comes to spills. Drinks mats are also essential and they can range too; from the small cardboard coasters handed out by the breweries to larger heavy duty glass mats.

Deluxe bar tray in brass

Deluxe bar tray in brass

Cleaning

Cleaning of the bar should be conducted throughout the service. Both a damp and dry cloth should regularly be used to mop up spills and to ensure the bar surface is dry before each customer.

The bar should also be cleaned and polished after each service. This might seem a laborious task but a good polish is essential to protect the surface.

Housekeeping

Ensuring litter is removed from the bar area is also important for it’s general appearance. Ashtrays (if smoking is permitted) should be regularly emptied and cleaned while crisps packets, empty glasses and other items should be removed from the bar swiftly.

A good waste bin behind the bar is also essential and should be considered as essential as other bar equipment and bar accessories.

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Posted in Bar Equipment Tips, Bar equipment, hotel and bar equipment, restaurant bar | No Comments »

The Four Aspects to Starting a Successful Bar

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Richard N Williams

Running a successful bar is like running any successful business; it takes a lot of hard work and plenty of luck to make it successful. There are however a few things that you can do to give lady luck a hand and boost your chances of turning your new bar into a successful business.

Bars a similarities to many other businesses but running a bar can be quite unique in its challenges as no other business requires the combination of aspects that make up a good bar:

Location

Location in many businesses is key, but in the bar industry, location will also define the type of bar that will be successful. Few people travel far for a local bar, so ensuring you are providing the sort of place the local people want is crucial if you are to make a success of it. Whilst wine bars and cocktail lounges may do well in city centre locations, they might not be what the customers of a rural location will require.

Decor is important for a bar

Decor is important for a bar

Décor

Few businesses depend on how attractive the décor and building is but in the bar business décor is vital in creating the right ambiance and making people feel welcome. And the aesthetics of a good bar starts on the outside, if the exterior looks tatty then nobody will want to go inside, no matter what you do to the interior.

Layout

Few bar owners put much consideration into the layout of a bar but good bar design requires a functional and practical bar for it to be a success. If a bar is laid out badly and the staff are struggling to pour drinks, take money and keep customers happy it will soon fail no matter how attractive the bar is.

Registers should be close at hand so a bartender can serve a drink and take payment without too much movement making it quicker and more efficient. Customers at bars do not like having to wait for drinks.

Supplies

Bar equipment should be a priority in any bar. Making sure you have right equipment right from the word go is crucial if you want to keep making money. Often a bar contains a lot of unnecessary equipment that takes up room meaning there is is no place for enough alcohol or glasses.

Space is essential behind any bar so avoid buying unnecessary equipment and choose a bar equipment supplier that is to get hold of on the internet or over the phone as you may never know when you may need additional bar equipment and supplies.

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Posted in Bar Ideas, Bar equipment, equipping bar, hotel and bar equipment | No Comments »

Pub Saving Ideas: The Cocktail Night

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

By Richard Williams

Whether it was the smoking ban, consecutively bad summers or the financial crisis, if you own a pub or bar things have probably not been going great. In the UK a pub closes every few hours and very few reopen. But the great British pub is too great an institution for us to let it disappear for good so its time to come up with some pub saving ideas and to get you started how about the cocktail night.

Cocktail nights are great fun and can attract a good variety of customers through the doors.

Okay, it may require some essential cocktail accessories and bar equipment but these not need be expensive, especially as there are some great hotel, bar and pub equipment suppliers on the internet.

The basic bar equipment that you’ll need are: cocktail glasses, needn’t be too fancy and most good bar equipment suppliers will have good stock of inexpensive cocktail glasses. You’ll also need some other cocktail equipment like measures, shakers, cocktail stirrers and a selection of cocktail picks, umbrellas and other garnishes. Its a good idea to get a selection of fresh fruit for this too.

Other bar accessories that are a good idea to have is large ice bucket fully stocked and its always handy to have an electric blender to hand too.

Cocktail Equipment

Cocktail Equipment

And while the hedonistic world of cocktails may at first seem daunting there is no need to have to learn dozens of cocktail recipes. It can be just as successful a night if you stick to a menu of perhaps four or five of the top favourites and to get you started here’s my recipe for a Pina Colada for which you’ll need:

2 measures of Rum
1 measure of coconut milk (tinned is fine)
3 measures of pineapple juice
A slice of orange
A cocktail shaker
A cocktail glass

Add all the measures together in a shaker with a glass of ice and shake vigorously for a good 30 seconds, pour into the cocktail glass and garnish with the slice of orange – simple but delicious.

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Posted in Bar Ideas, Bar equipment, Cocktail Bars, equipping bar | 1 Comment »

Setting up a Bar and the Importance of Bar Equipment

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

By Richard Williams

Whether you are embarking on opening your first bar or hotel or are expanding your current chain then it is crucial you realise the importance of good catering and bar equipment can’t be stressed strongly enough.

A successful business, whether its a hotel, restaurant, pub, bar or cocktail lounge is dependent on a number of things. Well-trained staff and good service and essential for any bar or restaurant but neither can be achieved if the right equipment isn’t purchased in the first place.

The catering and entertainment industry is one of the hardest to get a business off the ground in and many good restaurants and bars fail in the first few months,mainly down to bad planning and the wrong equipment. The wrong bar equipment can soon cause havoc as orders build up in the kitchen because there are not enough kitchen equipment or the waitresses are scrabbling around looking for cutlery.

It is crucial in setting up any bar, hotel or restaurant to sit down and go through a check list of all the catering and bar equipment you require. Start from the basics, such as the cooker. How big do you need it where will it fit etc etc. And make sure you speak to the staff who will be using it. Is it the right equipment for the task in hand, ask their opinion.

Finding a decent supplier is perhaps the next hurdle in setting up a bar or restaurant. The internet is of course a handy tool for finding a supplier of hotel and bar equipment but make sure they have a detailed a website with pictures of the products so you can see clearly if it is the correct equipment or not.

A good catering and bar equipment supplier will also show prices which clearly state VAT. This can be crucial in totting up the total cost of equipping your bar, restaurant or hotel. Failing ot account for hidden costs can see costs become crippling.

Its also a good idea to have an email address or phone number for any supplier, especially if you are setting up your first business, often its handy to ask advice on some products and many websites that can’t answer simple queries may not be worth considering.

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Posted in Bar equipment, equipping bar, hotel and bar equipment, hotel equipment, new business | 1 Comment »