Seminar on operational bar design from Tales of the Cocktail (New Orleans) 2016, taught on Thursday July 21st.

1. INTELLIGENT DESIGN
#INTELLIGENTDESIGN
Philip Duff
Francesco Lafranconi
Tobin Ellis
Joaquin Simo
Shawn Soole

2. INTELLIGENT WHISKY
T: @FORTYCREEK_JOHN
IG: @FORTYCREEKWHISKY

3. PHILIP DUFF T: @PHILIPDUFF
IG: @PHILIPSDUFF
- Owner, door 74, Amsterdam (W50BB #33)
- Founder, Bols Bartending Academy,
Amsterdam (12 bar stations)
- Consultant, Liquid Solutions Consulting
- Director of Education, Tales of the Cocktail

4. FRANCESCO LAFRANCONI T: @FRANCESCOLAFRAN
IG: @FLAFRANCONI
- Executive Director of Mixology & Spirits
Educator, Southern Wine & Spirits, Nevada
- Founder, The Academy of Spirits & Fine
Service course

5. TOBIN ELLIS
IG: @ELLIS_ISLANDS
- Principal, BarMagic consulting, Las Vegas
- Creator, “Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail
Station” by Perlick

6. JOAQUÍN SIMÓ
T: @POURINGRIBBONS
IG: @POURING_RIBBONS
- Bartender/Owner, Pouring Ribbons, New
York
- Partner, Alchemy Consulting, New York
- American Bartender of the Year, 2012

7. SHAWN SOOLE
T: @LIQUIDREV
IG: @SHAWNSOOLE
- Principal/Owner, S2 Hospitality Concepts,
Victoria, B.C. (Canada)
- Author, “Cocktail Culture”

8. IN THE BEGINNING: 1882

9. IN THE BEGINNING: 1882
“No matter how elegantly the
place is fitted up, …their working
bench is usually constructed in a
very poor and ill-shaped manner”

10. IN THE BEGINNING: 1882

11. THIS MAN CREATED YOUR BAR

12. 1965: NE CORNER OF 63RD ST & 1ST AV

13. MOTIVES FOR BETTER BAR DESIGN
- Need for speed
- Industry professionalization
- Advances in health, safety, hygiene
- Explosive growth in on-trade

14. THE NUMBERS: (1)
- 2 bartenders, 40 guests, craft cocktails
-2 bar stations
- $50,000 bar system vs. $100,000 bar system

15. THE NUMBERS: (2)
- 2 bartenders, 40 guests, craft cocktails
- 10 drinks/hour per bartender
- x 8 hours per day, x 7 days per week
- x 52 weeks per year
= 58, 240 drinks @ $10 per = $582, 400

16. THE NUMBERS: (3)
- $582, 400/year.
What if it was a 10% speed improvement?
11 drinks/hour/bartender?
Sales go from $582, 400 to $640, 640
Profits go from $58, 240 to $64, 064
Tips* go from $36, 800 to $40, 480
* Per bartender, 5 shifts/week, 46 weeks/year

17. THE NUMBERS: (4)
- Extra $50,000 in bar systems paid back
(through higher sales) in 10 months.

18. WHAT DEFINES YOUR SYSTEM?
- Cost
- Timing
- Material availability
- Concept

19. DOOR 74, AMSTERDAM

20. BOLS BARTENDING ACADEMY,
AMSTERDAM

21. SHAWN SOOLE

22. LITTLE JUMBO

23. LITTLE JUMBO

24. LITTLE JUMBO

25. LITTLE JUMBO

26. LITTLE JUMBO

27. LITTLE JUMBO

28. LITTLE JUMBO

29. CONSULTING – SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE
• Old hotel function space converted into a lounge
• 60 pax lounge with a 40 seat patio and possible
standing 120 pax functions.
• Was told my plans were “over specified”

30. CONSULTING – SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE

31. CONSULTING – JAPANESE VILLAGE
• 35 year old restaurant
• New bar layout &
lounge
• New back bar design
• Wine storage moved
into bar
• Moulding the existing
bar front into the new
renovations
• 160 seat restaurant,
average of 400 covers
a night

32. CONSULTING – JAPANESE VILLAGE

33. CONSULTING – CAFÉ MEXICO
• 30 year restaurant that burnt down
and wanted a new space
• Bar is completely self contained
• Slushie machine
• Blender station
• 4 beers on tap
• Wanted to reuse the original ice
well
• Mirrored stations build over the
original

34. CONSULTING – CAFÉ MEXICO

35. CONSULTING – CAFÉ MEXICO

36. JOAQUIN SIMO

40. Middle Bar
Station with
shared (w/
Service
Well)
stepped
speed rail
on the left
side.

41. Service Bar
Station with
shared (w/
Middle
Well)
stepped
speed rail
on the
Right side.

42. Service Bar
Station with
Pass, Dirty
glassware
staging area,
trash, sink
(w/foot
pedals!),
dishwasher, &
ice room just
through the
pass-through
window

43. The staff
ranges from
5’2” to 6’5”, so
there are
steps built into
the back bar
to ensure we
can all reach
the backup
bottles safely
and quickly.

44. Your whole foot fits inside the
steps, and there are hand holds
to keep you securely in place
when reaching for a bottle.
Also note the red bar mats. They
make it REALLY OBVIOUS when
there are bev naps, straws, mint
sprigs or anything on the floor.
Y’know, so you have a visual
reminder to pick them up and
work clean. Ahem.

45. Raise your
hand if you
enjoy bending
over a thousand
times a night to
grab a frozen
glass from a
top-loading
freezer...
No one?
Really?
Just shocking.

46. Top shelf has
Coupes.
Middle shelf
holds Nick &
Nora + Fizz
glasses.
Bottom shelf has
Shard ice (for
Highballs) and
Cylinders (for
Rocks).

47. Ice cream
scoop dipper
well at each
station to hold
bar spoons and
ice cracker.
Also useful for
passively
rinsing jiggers,
speed pourers,
muddlers and
teaspoons.

48. Top view of
dipper well in
action. Also
note the metal
straw in there.
We use those
instead of
plastic to
minimize
waste when
tasting drinks
as we go.

49. Foot pedals on all sinks
behind the bar. Because
no one has ever wanted
to touch a faucet handle
when their hands were
covered in syrup or egg
white. Fact.

50. Commercial freezer in
back of house freezes
all ice necessary for the
following day’s service
overnight. Also useful
for backup purees and
other non-stable items.

51. Manager on
Duty arrives
at 3pm to
pull frozen
molds for
cylinders
and shards
for staff to
harvest,
refill &
replace.

52. Tackle boxes
are a
wonderfully
inexpensive
alternative to
pricey
silicone
molds for
creating
Collins-
length ice
spears.

53. This is our rolling prep station.
This is what happens when you
have no functional prep area in
your back of house. It has almost
everything we need to produce
syrups, juices, extractions, and
batches. It lives in front of the
freezer in the rear office, with
juuuuuuuust enough space to fit
them in and just barely be able to
open and close the door. Barely.

54. Lower
shelves hold
cooking
implements,
cling wrap,
and two
induction
burners.

55. Middle shelf
holds Sunkist
juicer, VitaMix
blender,
centrifugal
extractor,
spice grinder,
gram scale,
rubber gloves
and fine
strainers.

56. Top shelf is for
Cambros &
lids,
measuring
cups, knives
(in sheaths)
and plenty of
quart & 1/2-
quart
containers and
lids.

57. “Design is not just
what it looks like and
feels like.
Design is how it
works.”
- Steve Jobs
‘Operational Design’
TOBIN ELLIS

58. BAD DESIGN IS EVERYWHERE

59. PLAN
DESIGN
BUILD
MARKET
PROGRAM
OPEN
PLAN
PROGRAM
DESIGN
BUILD
OPEN
MARKET
TRADITIONAL DESIGN BARMAGIC DESIGN

61. Pulling Back
The Curtain

62. ERGONOMIC
DESIGN

63. DIE WALL KOBAYASHI MARU

64. QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

65. ZERO STEP BARTENDING.
the Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail Station by Perlick

66. Winner: 2015 Good Design Award (Chicago Museum of Architecture & Design)
Finalist: 2016 FCSI Foodservice Product of the Year

67. OF LAS VEGAS
WE BUILD BARS | Concept - Design - Operations | Established 1997

68. INTELLIGENT DESIGN
By Francesco Lafranconi

69. “Behind every project
there is a dream with a
purpose, a striving
emotion, something
intangible that soars
within you.
The Race Track is my
dream to improve the
working environment of
my fellow bartenders.”
Salute!
Francesco Lafranconi
Photo by Chris Devargas

70. THE RACE TRACK
Photo by Vegas Seven
“Style with substance. Contemporary design enmeshed with ergonomics and
a functional soul.
An harmonious balance between straight and curved lines.”-Francesco Lafranconi

71. RACE TRACK
BAR STATION
Photo by Jeff Green Photography

72. Built-in dripping
pan for ice block
3-compartment
oval ice bin with
built-in hot water
faucet
9 pans
refrigerated
garde manger
display
Shakers storage
and dripping
board
Strainers storage
trough dripping
board
7 1/2 “ bar
rail/scupper with
extra underneath
support that
prevents to flex
when muddling
Deep well and
water jet rinser
Photo by Las Vegas Weekly
Knives storage
acrylic block
Front
refrigerated
drawers and
freezer
Hot water hose interchangeable
keg cocktail draft
lines with wine
ones
Dimeable
undercounted
lighting
Built-in cutting board
with removable waste
basket
Bar towels
cubby
3 liquor/syrups
drawers (up to 52
bottles storage)
RACE TRACK Features
7 under counter garnish
pans (4 1/2” x 7”)
7 1/2” wide
scupper/bar rail

73. STOCKING UP THE COCKPIT
Front drawers
capable to store
up to 52 bottles
including storing
with pour spout

74. Built-in cutting board with
removable waste basket
Knives built-in place holder
9 pans refrigerated garde
manger
Each item belongs in its proper place

75. EACH ITEM BELONGS IN ITS
PROPER PLACE
“Hide ’n store” cubby
designed to place bar
towels during service
Race Track solution
Current happening
in too many bars
Extra shelving
for dry storage
under the sink
Front station
spice and bar
tools drawers

76. Each item belongs in its proper place
Book shelf-like glassware storage
10” height to allow fine tall wine
glassware to fit as well
Approx. 34” away
from bartender’s arm reach

77. KEEP IT COOL BUT NOT MESSY
Front drawers to store
produce , dairy and pickled
goods. Away from guest’s
eyes when back bar
refrigerator is open
Punched stainless shelving inside
the refrigerator to allow cold air
flow and promote stability for
bottles so do not tilt and fall
Current case scenario in too
many bars!!

78. HOT WATER FEATURES
Retractible hot water (5ft) hose Built-in hot water faucet to “burn down” the ice
without scooping it out so bartender or barback
can resume other functions

79. PROMOTING YOUR CONCEPT
THROUGH VISUAL CLUES
Refrigerated see-
through storing unit for
Aperitifs and other
beverages

80. Ergonomic improvements
Pull out drawers for
storing bottles
Raised counter height from
standard 29” to 34 1/2”
Your Bar Station is first and foremost a workplace, it
must promote easiness to clean, convenient to move
around with a functional and pleasing lay out.

81. It’s all about the details…even if the
guest won't see it
Painted copper pipes
under counter
and floor ones for indirect
waste. Also the grid has
been painted to blend in
with the bar room’s other
materials colors
Custom
made
stainless
trash cans
could host
more
garbage
waste

82. STEPPIN’ ON THE RIGHT
SURFACE
Soft padded cushioning
mats, custom cut.
NOTE: Anti-fatigue mats are often used to decrease foot and lower limb disorders for
workers who stand in one position for long periods.
Mats should not slip, or create a trip hazard.
The thickness of the mat. Softer and thicker may not always be better. Choose a mat
that provides some elasticity, but at the same time is not so soft that a person feels
they cannot stand comfortably. (source: www.ccohs.ca)
Industrial quality
anti-slippery floor

84. INTELLIGENT WHISKY
T: @FORTYCREEK_JOHN
IG: @FORTYCREEKWHISKY

85. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
INTELLIGENT DESIGN
#INTELLIGENTDESIGN
WWW.TALES365.COM
@FORTYCREEK_JOHN / @FORTYCREEKWHISKY
@PHILIPDUFF / @PHILIPSDUFF
@FRANCESCOLAFRAN / @FLAFRANCONI
/ @ELLIS_ISLANDS
@POURINGRIBBONS / @POURING_RIBBONS
@LIQUIDREV / @SHAWNSOOLE