Sponsored by HOSHIZAKI
Flamboyant specialty cocktails and on-trend craft beers drive traffic and sales in many restaurants today. Playing a vital support role in the bar effort are back bar refrigerators which keep beverages chilled, merchandise them with style, stand up to heavy use and help bartenders serve guests faster.
This article will discuss key issues in back bar refrigeration from the perspective of an equipment expert. The focus is on back bar refrigerators and bottle coolers that merchandise packaged beverages and direct draw refrigerators that enable operators to sell high-margin draft beer from equipment with compact footprints.
Working with a trusted partner
There is a trend among restaurant operators to rely on a single, trusted brand of refrigeration equipment for retrofits and new construction rather than several brands because it simplifies operations and service, reports Jake Kimmel, product manager, refrigeration, at Hoshizaki America. “We’re seeing a lot more restaurant operators specify the same equipment brand behind the bar as well as in the back-of-the-house,” he says.
Looks matter
Reach-ins with a plain, institutional look are fine in the kitchen. But behind the bar, in plain sight of customers, operators insist on units with a clean, attractive, modern look that fits their interior decor. Back bar refrigerators should look great inside and out in order to merchandise beverages to maximum advantage.
Keeping cool
Dependable temperature performance is an obvious must for back bar refrigerators. Operators require their back bar to keep bottled and canned beverages and beer kegs properly chilled. Nowhere is it more important than in direct draw refrigerators because if the keg gets warm, excessive foaming and beer waste results. “That directly hurts the bottom line and results in an unacceptable product for customers,” Kimmel says.
Saving time and motion
When patrons are lined up two or three deep at the bar, it pays to have back bar refrigerators designed to save seconds and steps in service. One important feature is a self-closing swing door which allows the bartender to grab a bottle and serve the guest immediately without stopping to shut the door. Placing handles on reach-in doors where they are easy to grab also saves time and speeds service. “It all adds up to more pours and more profits,” says Kimmel.
The new Hoshizaki Back Bar Refrigeration Series debuted recently, offering operators reach-ins with durable construction, superior refrigeration performance and eye-catching style. Front-breathing, side mount refrigeration slides out easily for cleaning and service. Side to side circular air flow ensures ice-cold products even when the doors are opened regularly. Construction features such as heavy-duty 18-gauge stainless steel tops, stainless steel interiors and wear-resistant black vinyl-coated exteriors on front, sides and rear make for excellent durability.
The practical draft beer solution
Many restaurants lack the space for a keg room and a long draw draft beer system. But most any operation can fit a compact direct draw refrigerator behind the bar and start a profitable draft beer program. The Hoshizaki Direct Draw Series has models ranging from 24 inches to 95 inches wide, equipped with one or two dispensing towers and one to four beer faucets. The various cabinets accommodate common keg sizes: sixth barrel, quarter barrel, slim quarter barrel and half barrel. Keg cushions protect the cabinet floor and allow air flow under the kegs for better cooling. Since beer is dispensed from the bottom of the keg, that airflow underneath is key. A stainless steel threshold on door openings provides additional protection from loading and unloading kegs.
Merchandising packaged beverages
Many of today’s most popular beers and nonalcoholic beverages are available in bottles and cans. The Hoshizaki Back Bar Series of back bar refrigerators with swing doors has models ranging from 59 inches to 95 inches wide with either glass or solid doors. Stainless steel interior construction and LED lights put beverage labels in the spotlight for the best merchandising effect. “With the stainless steel backdrop, you get a more elegant display of beer,” says Kimmel. “And stainless steel is more durable and corrosion resistant as well, so it holds up over time.”
The Hoshizaki Bottle Cooler Series with slide tops, with models ranging from 50 to 95 inches wide, puts a large inventory of well-chilled bottles and cans in easy reach of the bartender. “These coolers have the operator in mind because you can remove the top for easier loading,” says Kimmel. “Plus, they have bin dividers inside to separate bottles from cans or brand from brand. And they store quite a lot of product.”
Selling specialty cocktails and craft beers is a much-needed profit center today. Showcasing them in attractive, reliable and efficient back bar refrigeration equipment goes a long way to support the bar merchandising effort and build the bottom line.
