1954 Practical Bar Management by Eddie Clarke

THE BAR

When designing the larger type of Cocktail Bar, where four or five bartenders will work behind, all the former essentials must be catered for, but in addition it is advisable to split the service up into sections, with ice-bins, etc., situated at intervals, from which a man can work at either side. A complete service station should also be made at the point where the waiter is served with drinks for the tables. If space permits, it is an asset to have a self-contained, enclosed pantry, at one end of the bar or behind. It enables a member of the staff to wash glasses in more seclusion, and, of course, it adds to the storing allocation in a busy bar, giving more room also behind the bar for movement. Finally there are a few extra items to remember for use behind the bar counter. Positions should be allotted to fixtures for the opening of crown corks, with a small receptacle attached at a slightly lower level to catch the discarded metal caps. Suction discs must also be placed at regular intervals, to be used for the always needed glasscloth. A rubbish bin should also be con veniently tucked away around some odd corner, the bar floor should never be allowed to bear a resemblance to Hampstead Heath after a Bank Holiday fair ; make certain that all discarded corks, etc., find their way to the bin. There must be good lighting behind the bar, to enable the bartender to do his job properly, it will also give a cleaner and smarter appearance to the whole bar, than when it is lit with dim and insufficient lighting. Just another small point in regard to the"show bottles",they will look even more attractive if decorated with fancy coloured and carved corks. Flooring Behind the Bar Now for the final item behind the bar—the floor 1 A most important subject considering the amount of work it has to do. There were days, not so very long ago, when on mention of a bar floor one's mind immediately flew to wooden duckboards, but now,thank goodness, they are relics of the past. They were most dangerous to move quickly on, especially if wet, also they were always inclined to harbour dirt beneath the slats, whilst on top of all this they were very noisy. So many other compositions 27