Restaurant bar design ideas to turn customers into regulars

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Welcome to the realm of restaurant bar design, where the fusion of aesthetics, functionality, and ambiance makes for an enjoyable customer experience. Because a restaurant bar is, by definition, part of a restaurant, bar design ideas will need to fit with the overall restaurant concept. Done well, your restaurant bar can be a distinguishing factor that elevates your establishment above the competition and adds more flair to your spot.

Naturally, crafting a well-designed bar involves more than just choosing bar stools, countertops, and color schemes. Restaurateurs will need to understand their target demographic, the role the bar will play in the restaurant interior design, the space bartenders will have to work with, and much more.

So, let’s take a look at why a cleverly-designed restaurant bar area matters, different ways to accommodate bar space, and the best ways to make your bar work.

Why does restaurant bar design matter?

You’ve probably seen it before—a bar area thrown into a space as an afterthought, with a simple bar shoved against the wall accompanied by a line of boring bar stools and an unremarkable bar counter. It’s treated either as a place for solo diners to sit and eat or a waiting area for customers looking for a table.

In reality, bar seats can be some of the most valuable in the front-of-house (FOH) if used correctly, and the bar itself can become a priceless centerpiece of your local community.

People mainly go to bars to socialize. That’s the whole point, really. So, arranging your bar layout to be as attractive and functional as possible can help draw a crowd, keep them there, and keep them coming back. The goal of any restaurant should be to turn diners into regulars, and a well-designed restaurant bar can do just that.

Whether you’re running a bistro, a sports bar, a pub, or a local neighborhood restaurant, your bar can be the life of the dining room. But what’s the best restaurant bar design to ensure liveliness and maximize profitability?

Elements of a well-designed restaurant bar

A successful restaurant bar design takes into account a number of elements that work together to deliver an enjoyable customer experience for patrons. A restaurateur will want to fit the bar into their overall theme, whatever it may be. Before you answer the “whatever it may be” question, be sure your restaurant branding is sorted out so you don’t have to think twice about the color palette, types of wall art you’ll put up, the light fixtures and glassware you’ll use, and more. All of the above should be kept consistent with the rest of the restaurant.

Crucially, the bar interior should encourage a consistent workflow for servers, bartenders, barbacks, and anyone else who works in and around the bar. That means clearly designated work areas, POS system placement, easy ingress and egress points for bar staff, and easily accessible shelving and cleaning areas.

Your glassware and shelving needs will depend on what kind of bar you’re offering. For a specialty cocktail bar or speakeasy, for example, you’ll need lots of shelves to display the high-quality beverages on hand. A bar that’s more focused on beer will need significant bar top space for taps and space behind for related bar equipment like kegs, tap lines, and refrigeration.

A restaurateur will want to consider the bar from the customer’s point of view as well, of course. Prominently displaying drinks you want to sell is a wise idea, though sticking to the “top-shelf” concept where the highest-quality drinks are kept towards the top of a customer’s field of view is a time-tested concept.

Bar seating tips

The most valuable way to encourage socialization at a bar is to use one of a variety of bar shapes. Naturally, you’ll have to work this around your floor plan and using varied shapes may not always be possible (for example, in small restaurants). But let’s consider options.

A U-shaped or L-shaped bar is the best for solo diners or small groups to gather and be able to speak to others at the bar. These layouts are ideal for bar-restaurant crossovers like pubs, where drinks are served as much as food. A key element is that the bartender is in the middle of the seating area, so the conversation will naturally bounce off of them. A significant part of bartending involves facilitating conversation and a convivial ambiance.

If, however, you’re aiming for a more intimate setting—for couples on dates, for instance—a simple line-shaped bar is the best since it limits conversation to just a couple people at a time. This encourages one-on-one conversations, and small tables for two can be placed in the bar area as well for the same reason.

Depending on how much space you intend to dedicate to the bar—or how much the bar blends into the restaurant—you can offer a variety of seating, including comfortable couches with coffee tables, intimate booths, versatile, movable seating, or more. Consider offering a variety of heights for chairs to ensure that people have options for where they want to sit.

In the pub I ran, I set up an L-shaped design with the bartender in the middle. This encouraged people to show up solo, because they knew there was a high chance they’d know somebody there.

For chairs: Back support and comfort is essential. Bar stools should be sturdy but comfortable and offer back support to encourage customers to relax and enjoy their time at the bar. They should also be upright enough to make eating and sitting close to the bar easy. Footrests under chairs or a long running footrest bar underneath can encourage comfort.

So that’s seating, but what about lighting?

Lighting in restaurant bar design

Lighting serves as a potent tool in shaping the ambiance and mood of a restaurant bar. The strategic use of light fixtures like pendant lights, sconces, and track lighting can accentuate focal points, create depth, and evoke a sense of intimacy.

Natural light sources like windows or skylights can infuse the space with warmth and vitality during the day. Dimmable lighting options offer flexibility in adjusting the ambiance according to the time of day or specific events, catering to diverse guest preferences.

Dynamic lighting schemes that transition between day and night settings can transform the bar’s atmosphere, giving guests a multi-sensory experience that’ll keep them coming back.

Decide on your bar’s importance

One of the most critical decisions a restaurateur can make with restaurant bar design is to think about how much importance they want to place on the bar itself. Will it be an option for diners, the focus of the restaurant, or simply a waiting area or extra seating for solo diners? These are all appropriate in different situations, and the restaurant concept will need to be thoroughly thought out before this question is answered.

Sometimes, however, a restaurateur may discover that the bar plays a different role in the real world than they expected—at which point renovations may be necessary. Don’t be afraid to change your expectation of your bar’s role, since customers may often end up deciding that for you.

Make the best bar you can

You’re already on track to make the best bar you can—so you’ll want to make sure your bartenders, servers, and more have the best tools at their fingertips to ensure a great dining experience. That means software with fully customizable floor plans, customer profiles so bartenders remember a regular’s favorite drink, easy POS syncing, and much more.

The tool that does all that is Yelp Guest Manager. It’s the best bang for your buck you’ll get in FOH management software and comes with a fully dedicated onboarding manager during the setup process—a real human you can talk to at any time. Combine that with flat monthly fees and no cover for reservations and you’re looking at a winner.

Want to take it for a test drive? Reach out to us for a free demo and we’ll get you started. Having a restaurant bar that works well can be a blast, and having tools that make running it easy allows you to focus on the really important things, like happy customers.