Every bar needs some sort of refrigeration for its drinks. The most common form of these fridges, known as bar coolers, are available in all sorts of types and sizes – back bar coolers, bar bottle coolers, ones with glass doors, solid coolers, and so on. Many businesses lease these kinds of equipment, but for those that still buy in their equipment, whether used or brand new, it is still helpful to know a little bit about them and what to look out for.
Back Bar Coolers – Available with Glass Doors or Solid Doors
I’m sure that these coolers have already been discussed somewhere on this website, but here is a quick recap: A back bar cooler is one that is used to store and chill drinks behind the bar. Basically they are large refrigerators, with a built in compressor for cooling the contents inside. One thing that you should do before buying a true back bar cooler is to check what side of the unit the compressor is on. It will be either on the left or the right of the machine, and care must be taken to make sure that the compressor has enough room to breathe – so design your bar layout accordingly!
Units with glass doors are not as good at keeping in the cold air as units with solid doors and in addition a glass unit must be kept well ordered most of the time because they are customer facing!
The glass bar cooler models typically have triple glazing on the front to stop the cold air passing through to the bar, but they are still not as efficient as units with solid doors.
Horizontal Bar Coolers
These units store cans or bottles of beer on their sides, so a vast quantity of units can be stored in one of these. The top door of the unit usually slides open – this can again be glass or solid. Horizontal units are great for really busy bars, and to fill them up you only have to open a box and slide the cans or bottles in – nice and quick, and nice and easy! These coolers also have a built in bottle opener on the side or the front to open the drinks inside as standard.
Temperature controls are normally found on the very bottom of the coolers, so the bar can adjust the cooling system to be colder if the external temperature is high.
Most coolers are available in one, two or three door models, so you should be able to find a suitable size to cope with the demand at the bar – if not you can always get more than one bar cooler and place them side by side.
You may also enjoy:
- Keg Cooler Buying Guide
- The Best Use of Mini Fridges in the Bar Trade
- Getting a Small Drinks Cooler for the Bar Area | Have Drinks Within Easy Reach and In Open View
- Bottle Coolers for Bars, Shops and Restaurants | Different Types of Bottle Coolers for the Service Industries
- Commercial Bar Fridges for the Catering and Bar Industry: Know Your Bar and Commercial Fridges