Knowing bar supplies basics is essential for anyone who contemplates opening a bar. From the eye-catching hardwood bar itself to the dozens of smallwares that professional bartenders depend on, commercial bar equipment comes in many kinds, sizes and shapes.

You can readily find wholesale bar supplies online. Start by creating the mood with the centerpiece-the bar itself. Then enhance the mood by adding the right furniture, whether metal-backed or finely upholstered bar stools and chairs. Consider many options available as you search for bar supplies basics.

1. Invest in a premium quality bar made of solid wood by an accomplished bar supply manufacturer.

2. Get the bar supply furniture that creates the right mood.

3. Look for restaurant bar supplies known as smallwares, such as liquor pourers, ice buckets and juice containers.

4. Purchase heavy-duty equipment from commercial bar supplies manufacturers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Order a custom made bar from a leading bar supply manufacturer

Find a bar manufacturer that will work with you to build a solid wood bar customized to your individual taste--whether you prefer an Upper Back Bar, Art Deco Style , Chicago Style or Classic Irish pub style.

I recommend: Wallace & Hinz has been in the bar-making business since the mid 1970's. They are famous for having built the bars for the Cheers! restaurants in Boston. The company, which has built thousands of bars all across the United States, has earned wide recognition in the bar industry. Since first targeting the end user industry in 2000, Christiano Furniture has been offering a wide selection of large and small custom made wet bars.

Look for restaurant and bar supplies furniture tables and chairs to create the perfect decor

Base your choice of bar tables and chairs on your bar's decor. Choose wood or upholstered bar stools and chairs to convey elegance. Steel and chrome are good choices for stools and chairs in bars with more casual settings.

I recommend: Restaurant Bar Furniture offers competitively priced bar tables and sets. Buy bar stools in your choice of aluminum, stainless steel, metal or chrome from Bar Stools & Bar Stools. ServU-Online Restaurant Equipment & Supplies offers wood and upholstered bar stools and chairs.

Choose bar supplies novelties that make your work easier

Fruit trays, bar mats, sugars and rimmers, pitchers, ice buckets and liquor pourers are just some of the necessary tools that make any good bar functional.

I recommend: Bar Supplies.com and Twin Supply both offer a wide selection of accessories and bar ware at discount prices.

Invest in high quality professional bar supplies equipment

You'll need the high powered equipment like beer line connectors, refrigeration, ice machines and beer line cleaning tools that the customers don't see but which guarantee high quality professional service.

I recommend: Rapids Wholesale Equipment and Ice Machine World have decades of experience in selling professional bar supplies equipment. Both offer their products at discount prices.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't be afraid to share your budget with any bar equipments manufacturer or supplier you'd like to deal with. Also, ask about purchasing used bar equipment, which could result in a substantial savings.

Think of your favorite bar. What comes to mind? Probably delicious drinks, a comfortable atmosphere, good music, friendly people. That's because bars are fun places. People love them. They go to bars to celebrate birthdays, decompress after work and relax while they watch the big game. It's no surprise, then, that if you like going to bars you might also decide that you'd enjoy owning one.

Running a bar, however, is no easy task. It may look like fun from your barstool, but on the other side of the counter awaits a whirlwind of hard work and risk-taking. This isn't "Cheers," after all, and you aren't Sam Malone.

If you stick with it, though, a bar can be an incredibly rewarding—and profitable—business. People need entertainment, and they're more than willing to pay for it. Still, before you toast your new venture, ask yourself these questions in order to determine if the bar or nightclub business is right for you:

1. Do you like people?
2. Are you willing to work nights and weekends?
3. Can you handle your liquor responsibly?
4. Do you mind babysitting adults?
5. Are you prepared to navigate local liquor laws?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get to know the bar business

Before you get involved in the industry, be sure you know what you’re getting into and what it takes to succeed.

I recommend: If you’re looking for background on the bar and club industry, trade associations are a great place to start. Study up on the business with The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the National Bar & Restaurant Management Association and the American Beverage Licensees. Still have questions? Look for answers at Nightclubbiz.com.

Develop your bar or club concept

One of the most important decisions you’ll make is what kind of bar you’ll open. Decide whether you want a small neighborhood bar; a sports bar that serves up food and television; a brewpub where you brew your own beer; a specialty bar that has a signature offering, such as martinis, wine or cigars; or a club at which music—live or recorded—is a key feature.

I recommend: Flesh out your bar concept in your business plan. You can download a free sample business plan for nightclubs and bars from SVC Nightclub and Bar Services Inc. You can also purchase sample plans and templates from Teneric Business Plans, QuickPlan or Business Plan Database.

Find the start-up capital you need

Bars are expensive ventures. Start-up costs will vary by bar type, size, location and clientele, but be sure to consider the cost of rent, facility improvements, equipment and fixtures, licenses and permits, inventory, utilities, payroll, marketing, legal and accounting services, and insurance when you’re building your start-up budget.

I recommend: You can save significant money by purchasing an existing bar from another business owner. Browse bars for sale at BusinessesforSale.com, BizBuySell and BusinessBroker.net.

Scout for the perfect bar or nightclub location

For bars, location is critical. Leasing space in a trendy neighborhood may prove expensive, but often results in high traffic. Opening a bar in a less traveled area, on the other hand, might save you rent money, but might require more marketing funds.

I recommend: Because having the perfect location is useless if you can’t open for business, make sure you’ve obtained all the licenses and permits you need to get up and running. Companies such as Compliance Service of America and the American Liquor License Exchange can help you navigate local, state and federal regulations. Visit the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators for a link to your state liquor authority.

Stock your bar or nightclub

Inventory is key. Stay on top of the latest bar trends in order to keep your menu current and your customers happy.

I recommend: Find all the equipment and supplies you need to open your bar—used and new—by consulting Business.com’s directory of bar supplies. You’ll need furniture, barware and appliances. When it comes to liquor, focus on building strong relationships with local wholesalers and suppliers; consult the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America’s Membership Roster and Industry Directory to find a supplier in your area.

Build a strong team of bar or nightclub employees

You can’t run a bar or nightclub by yourself. You’ll need a talented team that might include a bartender, wait staff, a DJ, a doorman and a manager.

I recommend: Crucial members of your team are an accountant who specializes in restaurants and bars and a lawyer who is familiar with liquor laws and licensing. Find the former by searching a directory of accountants courtesy of the National Association of Small Business Accountants. Find the latter by consulting the National Association of Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Attorneys.

Promote the heck out of your new bar or nightclub

To market your bar, pursue all the usual vehicles, including print advertising, phone directory listings and a dynamic Web site. Consider reserving a substantial portion of your marketing budget, however, for unique promotions that will drive traffic, such as special entertainment, contests and giveaways.

I recommend: Read up on industry trends and find promotional inspiration when you subscribe to trade magazines such as Bartender Magazine, Nightclub & Bar Magazine and Wine Business Monthly.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A bar isn’t a party; it’s a business. Treat it that way in order to succeed.
• •  Name your bar or nightclub carefully. A good name will tell potential customers something about your establishment—where it’s located, for instance, what it serves or even whether it’s laid back or full of energy.
• •  Free and discounted drinks can be great marketing. Be conservative, though; you can't afford to pay for drinks that your customers aren't buying.
• •  Pay attention to the music you play, the furniture you use, the lighting you install and the beers you put on tap; all contribute to the experience you’re selling.
• •  When you own a bar, you’re competing with scores of other bars in your area, not to mention restaurants and liquor stores. Pay attention to what others are doing; your liquor sales representatives are a good source of information, as they probably call on other bars in your area.
• •  Successful bars and nightclubs know who their customers are and what their customers want well before they open. Find out to whom you can best cater by researching local demographics as well as current alcohol and lifestyle trends.

Like any other food service business, a commercial bar has bar supply start up costs that can multiply exponentially if you're not careful. The trick is to control your spending by knowing what you need to open for business. A reliable stainless steel wine cooler that stores the right amount of bottles for your volume of business is a necessity. A solid wood wine cooler with hand carved doors is not.

With so many restaurant and bar supplies distributors advertising online, it's easy to get acquainted with the pricing and costs of bar supplies. While you can splurge a little on lower priced smallwares, you can't afford to go crazy on heftier priced items, like freezers and ice machines. Get quotes from several suppliers before finalizing any sale:

1. Compare prices on furniture from wholesale bar supplies companies.

2. Get estimates on heavy duty commercial bar equipment.

3. Find the lowest prices on smallwares from bar equipment suppliers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Contact wholesale bar supplies companies to find great prices on bar tables and bar sets

To save money, opt for bar tables and stools made of stainless steel. If your budget permits, you can splurge on pricier stools made of bronze or wrought iron.

I recommend: Restaurant Bar Furniture carries stainless steel bar tables with bases ranging from $140 to $160. Bronze finish bar sets cost about $240 while wrought iron sells at $670 for a bar table set with base and two stools. If you're looking for just bar and counter stools, try One Way Furniture, which has stools made of wood, iron and metal. Wood stools run between $75 and $600, depending on whether they are backless or have full leather seats. Wrought iron stools are $109 to $490 and metal stools cost between $60 and $345.

Check prices on the most expensive bar appliances and commercial bar equipment

There's nothing cheap about any commercial foodservice appliances and the equipment used in bars is no exception. You'll be spending the largest chunk of your startup capital on buying ice machines, sinks, refrigerators and freezers.

I recommend: Ice Machine World sells premium quality ice machines at prices based upon the amount of ice they can produce in one day. Machines producing 340 pounds daily run between $1900 and $2000. Machines producing 470 pounds per day are about $2100 and those boasting a daily production of between 560 and 1800 lbs. cost between $2300 and $5600. High quality stainless steel bar sinks at ServU-Online cost between $635 and $685. Refrigerators, Freezers & More sells wine refrigerators at prices that depend on the material they are and the number of bottles they can store. A wine cooler with a six bottle capacity runs about $150 while a cooler that can hold 16 bottles costs $230. If you want a wine refrigerator made of cherry wood that can hold 272 bottles, the cost is $4000. At the highest end, there's a wine cabinet with hand carved doors that can hold 650 bottles. It costs $11,000.

Splurge on less expensive commercial bar supplies, like smallwares

Trendy shot glasses, fancy stirrers for drinks and multi-colored straws are relatively inexpensive bar supplies that customers enjoy. Shop around to find a bar supply wholesaler that offers discounts on bulk purchases.

I recommend: Bar Supplies.com sells a box of 1000 multi colored sip straws for $2. Its drinking straws, also in multi colors, sell at $2 for a box of 250. Buy a box of 200 palm tree stirrers for just $4.80. Bar Supply Warehouse is a high volume restaurant bar supplies wholesaler that carries glasses at 93 cents per unit for a 10 oz. rocks glass. An 8 oz. tall rocks glass costs between 51 cents and 75 cents.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ask any bar equipment manufacturer or distributor about purchasing used bar equipment as a way to cut start up costs.

Whether your patrons enjoy classic cocktails, exotic beverages or an assortment of liquor straight up, you’ll need a collection of bar supplies to keep the drinks flowing. Knowing key industry terminology will enable you to order the proper bar tools and equipment from restaurant supply vendors or manufacturers. Having bar equipment like bar spoons, speed rails and muddler on hand will allow your mixologists to blend new, beloved and custom drinks to keep your clients refreshed and satisfied.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Wedging machine

Shorten the amount of time it takes your bartenders or kitchen staff to do preparation work before a shift by ordering a wedging machine, also called a wedger. The manual tool cuts fruits or vegetables into slices to use as garnishes or to add flavor to sangrias or shots.

I recommend: Discover more information on wedging machines, including operations and cleaning details, through Bar Supplies.

Speed rails

Allow your bartenders to better organize their work area and create drinks with more speed, precision and showmanship by installing speed rails to hold bottles of liquor and mixers. The safety shelves secure bottles, enabling bartenders to grab what they need quickly without accidents.

I recommend: Check out speed rails in different sizes, designs and capacities through Bar Supply Warehouse.

Glass rimmer

Resembling a flat lid, a glass rimmer holds condiments like salt, sugar or cocoa powder. The convenient design allows bartenders to dip moistened cocktail glasses into the condiments to create flavorful rimmed drinks with less mess or waste.

I recommend: Get a description and illustration of a three-tray glass rimmer through Bar Supplies Direct.

Muddler

To make popular cocktails like Mojitos, Caipirinha or flavored vodkas, a muddler presses and bruises slices of fruit or herb leaves at the bottom of the glass. The tool allows bartenders to release the fruit's juices or essential oils for the best flavor without bitterness.

I recommend: See muddler photos and get additional descriptions and features of the bar tool through New York Bar Store.

Bar spoon

Master mixologists will appreciate a selection of bar spoons to reach into tall cocktail glasses or jars of drink garnishes. The swirled handle is ideal for stirring drinks without breaking up the ice, while the back of the spoon makes the perfect pouring surface to help layer pretty drinks.

I recommend: Kegworks provides additional details and uses for bar spoons, as well as a photo of the essential bar tool.

Jigger

Bartenders just starting out or intent on getting the perfect measurements before they learn how to speed pour will appreciate a selection of jiggers. The stainless steel tools feature a cup on each side with measurements like one or one-and-a-half ounces to ensure the proper pour.

I recommend: Bottles Up provides jigger details, along with helpful hints on using the key piece of bar equipment.