Are you industrial chic? All hard edges, galvanized metal and hints of platinum black throughout? Maybe you’re more into raw timber finishes, rustic ceramic touches, copper accessories and mismatched vintage glassware?
Or something different all together....
Either way, a bar’s style is as important as its cocktails. Just like selling a house: your customer is forming opinions of your bar before they’ve even walked in the door, and first impressions count.
“Hospitality is about selling,” Paul Kelly, founder and head designer at Paul Kelly Design, tells Food Service. “If you can correctly illuminate a product or position a product, a customer is more likely to buy it. You have to be able to provide that whole experience.”
The styling in your bar speaks to your customer and helps form their choices and opinions, meaning you need to plan right down to the finest detail, and the most seemingly insignificant accessories.
It makes sense then, if you want that customer to buy your high-end cocktails, that you highlight items to arouse their interest in those drinks.
All that glitters
Emphasise the key elements: if you have an eye-catching gold cocktail shaker or a fancy swizzle stick, you’re subtly guiding the customer to the drinks you want them to order, thereby helping drive revenue.
These things can affect not only the customer experience, but the staff experience too. Imagine the difference for a bartender using that slick cocktail shaker, versus a run-of-the-mill beaten up tin? Their energy levels will be higher and their attitude more positive because they’re using nice tools behind the bar.
As director of Y. Studio, Yaron Kanor, tells Hospitality Magazine; “Hospitality entrepreneurs know a well-designed venue will positively affect staff performance, customer experience and overall functionality.”
Ready for Your Close Up?
And let’s not forget the impressions made on those who haven’t even visited the bar yet! With the likes of Instagram, if you provide apt photo opportunities, people will happily snap away and post about your bar online for others to see.
“In each venue I think there should be one or two “Insta Moments”. It’s impossible to ignore in today’s society that we love to post photos from our phones so I think when it comes to a commercial space it’s a fantastic opportunity to get your identity out there.” Stylist Amanda Talbot, told Vogue Living Australia. And she should know, she's styled some of Merivale's coolest venues!
Of course even the best styling won't get you very far if there's no functionality. Which is why it's so important to consider the bartender in your design.
Putting the Fun in Functionality
What drives bartenders nuts about bar designs? Melbourne bar owner, Hayden Lambert, says most of it! "There’s always a bar designed by a designer who doesn’t have any idea about the inner workings of the bar. The faster and quicker I can make drinks, the more drinks I can make and the more I can interact with customers, and the better the profitability of my bar will be,” he told Australian Bartender.
So, just imagine you can make that point of difference, complement your unique styling AND work efficiently - that would be a bar with style and substance!
It's something we keep in mind across the Uberbartools product range. We think our copper BarRay strainer looks fabulous and striking accompanied by the copper Boston Tin. Or you could mix and match a ProTrident black bar spoon with the sophisticated Urai Glass™ for stirred cocktails.
Whatever style you're going for, we have the tools to make it work, so there’s nothing left for you to do but VOGUE.