The Importance of Maintaining a Bar

Whether it is a hotel bar, pub, restaurant or night club. Ensuring the bar is kept clean and is well maintained is essential in the running of any successful business. Maintaining standards behind the bar is not just about ensuring everything looks spick-and-span, although a dirty or shabby looking bar is the fastest way to lose customers; but there are other reasons too:

Setting up a bar is never a cheap enterprise and no matter how good and inexpensive your bar equipment supplier is, it is pointless to keep replacing items due to neglect. Bar equipment and bar accessories can add up to a sizeable investment so it is important all equipment is looked after.

Hygiene is also increasingly important in the modern bar business. If you fail to maintain cleanliness you can run into all sorts of trouble – especially if you are also serving food. Everything from the fridge, cooker and dishwasher to be regularly cleaned.

Looking after the bar

The key to cleaning and maintaining a bar is to remember it is a continuous task. All bar staff should know that cleaning the bar should be something they are doing when they are not serving. The bar itself should regularly be wiped down and mats, tray and other bar accessories cleaned and replaced at frequent intervals. Alcohol can stain a bar surface so it is important to not let spills remain, least of all it it will infuriate customers if they get their sleeves wet on someone else’s spillage.

Also regularly service and clean equipment. Strip down and clean pumps and pipes whilst also remembering to wash and clean all bar equipment regularly. All machines should be regularly serviced and it is often a good idea to have a good maintenance contractor for the important equipment.

The floors shouldn’t be neglected too as mess and spills can often lead to accidents so ensure it is regularly swept and mopped. And avoid leaving superfluous bar equipment around – if it is not needed store it away to keep the bar as clean and functional as possible.