Singapore is well known for having a vibrant bar and nightlife scene, with Clark Quay, One Fullerton, and Club Street emerging as some of the top venues for opening a restaurant and bar in Singapore. Considering the ever-rising tourism, there-there has been a significant rise in the number of standalone bars in Singapore. Great bar design is critical to the bar’s success as it not only helps to stand out amongst the competition but also plays a significant role in the overall guest experience. The size of the bar doesn’t matter as much; what matters is how well designed it is.
Designing a bar takes a whole lot of effort and innovation, and in this article, we will talk about the essential bar design tips you should keep in mind before opening a bar in Singapore.
Essential Bar Design Tips To Abide By
Designing a bar takes a lot of hard work! You need to decide on the budget, space, and your concept to set-up a bar. It is essential to place the bar strategically for easy serving of drinks and smooth coordination between the staff for fast operations.
Planning everything would help ease the process of designing the bar of your dreams. We have broken down the task of designing a bar for you in seven major steps, employ these design tips for bar and see your resto-bar grow!
1. Plan Before You Execute
The idea of designing a bar can be very enticing, and people want to get it done with but, it is essential to plan ahead. Have a theme in your mind and decide how much you are willing to spend to achieve that layout.
You can make a systematic list of things you need to take care of, starting from the theme to the bar stools. You need to summarize your concept to implement it in your bar design.
You can also hire a professional to help you design the bar; this would help eliminate any mistakes as they have designed bars before on different budgets.
Knowing beforehand the components required and the cost of designing the bar would cut down on any unnecessary wastage. You need to invest a lot of time into planning a layout as this gives you a headstart, and prevents any delays. After all, time is money!
2. Consider Space Constraints
Once you have a basic idea in your head, you can then start with the technicalities of the bar design. Measurements of a bar are crucial to functionality. If the bartenders do not have enough space, this would restrict their movements and decrease efficiency. You need at least three feet between the liquor shelves and the bar top; this would allow your bartenders to move freely and serve the drinks quickly. Asses the measurement and create a blueprint of the design. You can hire a professional interior or a bar designer who could help you design a bar inside out and would help you utilize the space to its maximum potential. They consider every little detail and come up with the best design best suited. This is one of the most essential bar design requirements that simply cannot be ignored!
3. Decide An Unusual theme
You need to come up with an unusual theme for your bar that can help you stand out amongst your competition. You need to determine the clientele you are targeting and plan the theme of the bar accordingly because the space that you create should be a fit for the people who will bring life to it. If people like your bar they will keep coming back and this is good for your business because the repeat customers are the backbone of your bar’s success and they help in creating a buzz about your bar amongst their friends and family.
One such example of a unique bar is Operation Dagger, located at the Ann Siang Hill.
Operation Dagger is known for its mysterious and minimalistic interiors and has an excellent bar design. The bar has a cloud of light bulbs and a backdrop of shelves that hold various types of liquors on display. It is very different than any other bar in Singapore and needless to say, is an innovative one!
Innovation is the key to success and is a bar design requirement. Determining a unique theme would give you an upper hand.
4. Building The Space
Now comes the fun part! Once you are done determining the layout and the theme of the bar you can start putting it all together. Analyze the place and decide what goes where. Utilize the space smartly; every detail needs to be accounted for as that would determine the average cost of designing your bar.
Start with initial planning like where will you place the kitchen, bar area, seating, etc. and start pulling the elements in. You can also have a dedicated billing terminal for the bar. Having a separate billing point would ensure quicker billing and the guests wouldn’t have to wait to clear their bills.
For any bar, the drinks are the showstopper. Therefore, place them out front where people can see the liquor, this would help them order the alcohol they want easily, also, displaying the liquor bottle is a good way of ramping up the interiors.
You can hire an interior designer to help you create a bar design and execute your plan. They will help you create an efficient bar design, keeping your space in mind.
5. Choosing The Right Equipment
Another major step of building the space is to get the equipment to be used at the bar. Having the right equipment makes the place look tied together.
Bars should have a refrigerator, ice bins, coolers, wine racks, etc. Along with this make sure that the flooring at the bar area is not slippery, opt for rubber mat flooring for the safety of the staff/bartender. You can also invest in chairs and tables; the design should complement the interiors of the bar.
You can ask for free glasses from your beverage sales rep as this would help promote their brand and help you manage your budget if you are just getting started.
If you feel your budget is a little tight you can always purchase used-equipment. Check the quality of the equipment you wish to purchase, and you should be good to go!
Investing in used equipment initially is a smart move because this would help save you some money.
6. Choosing The Bar Top Wisely
A creative bar top can be beautiful and pulls more attention towards the bar. It is a centerpiece that makes the bar unique but, it is essential to select the right material for the bar top to avoid any disasters.
Stones and marbles look attractive but, provide no grip whatsoever. Slam a bottle a little too hard against the marble table, and the bottle might break. Instead, go for the traditional wood bar tops you can choose from Oaks, Maples, Mahogany’s, or Ashes. They have a firm grip and are very sturdy.
You can ask about the maintenance cost and the best tips to maintain the material before purchasing it.
7. Lighting To Set The Mood Right
The bar area should have adequate lighting for your customers to read the menu but, it should not be very bright.
Also, the bar area shouldn’t be very dark instead, opt for dim ambient lighting to set the mood. Subtle lighting is the key to setting the mood right. You can use recessed lighting or track lighting which have a switch to help you adjust the intensity of the lights. The most commercial kind of lights used are the over-the-bar counter lights since they illuminate the surface of the bar. You can also opt for some complimentary lighting and light up the liquor rack and the area around it.
This adds up to the overall experience of the bar and makes it look attractive.
To have a good bar design, you need to invest time. Planning and organizing at the beginning itself would help you get realistic about the idea and the budget. Coming up with a bar design requires patience and requires you to be strategic. There is a lot of work that goes into designing a bar and finally opening it for your customers.
Hopefully, these tips would help you plan beforehand for designing the bar of your dreams in Singapore!
