Bar & Nightclub Equipment Checklist: Underbar, Glasswashers, Ice Programs

A bar isn't a scaled-down restaurant kitchen. It's a fundamentally different machine — one where a bartender needs to be able to build a Manhattan, pour two drafts, rinse a shaker, and hand a guest a cold rocks glass without pivoting more than 90 degrees. Get the equipment layout wrong and you throttle every ticket for the life of the lease. Get it right and a two-bartender well can push 250-plus drinks an hour without either of them looking rushed.

This is the buildout checklist we walk operators through when they're pricing out a bar-heavy concept — a craft cocktail bar, a nightclub with a service well behind the DJ booth, or a sports bar cranking out 40-oz draws on a Saturday. Where the priorities differ from our general bar equipment checklist, we'll flag it. Everything here is anchored to gear USA Restaurant Suppliers actually stocks, with real model numbers where it matters.

Start with the four zones, not the shopping list

Every functional bar breaks down into four zones. The equipment list falls out of the zones — not the other way around.

1. The front bar — what the guest sees and touches. Bar top, rail, glassware displayed on the bar glass storage shelves.
2. The underbar / cocktail well — where the bartender actually works. Ice bin, speed rail, blender station, dump sink, drainboards, hand sink.
3. The back bar — bottle display, back-bar refrigeration, draft towers, cash/POS.
4. Support / behind the wall — ice machine, glasswasher, keg walk-in, dry storage.

1. Underbar workstations — the heart of the well

Modular underbar equipment is how you build a well that fits your specific bar footprint. The three tiers of manufacturer we work with most: Krowne (widest range, from the value-priced Royal Series to the high-end Alchemy Series), Glastender (bar-first specialist, particularly strong on integrated stations and frosters), and Advance Tabco (workhorse stainless, great for backup runs of drainboards and dump sinks).

A minimum cocktail well needs, in this order, from left to right (or reversed for a leftie bar):

• Hand sink (health-code mandatory — separate from any other sink)
• Blender station or beverage-gun station
• Ice bin with speed rail on the front
• Glass rinser or dump sink (a Krowne KR-D18-C style rinser is ideal)
• Drainboard for wet glassware coming off the glasswasher
• Bottle storage / liquor display well

For a craft cocktail bar building a signature station, Krowne's flagship Alchemist 122-inch refrigerated underbar workstation ($23,472) collapses six of those elements into a single stainless run. It's the difference between a bar that looks assembled and one that looks like it was engineered. For high-flexibility pop-up and modular buildouts, look at the Krowne MoveWell 48-inch adaptive station ($6,358) — the inserts swap out so a station can go from oyster prep on Tuesday to a batched-cocktail rail on Friday.

A Krowne Royal Series underbar run — the workhorse configuration for most cocktail bars.

2. Ice programs — the number every operator underestimates

Ice is the single most-underspec'd system in a new bar. The math looks harmless on paper. It's brutal in July.

Sizing production

The industry planning rule for a full-service bar is 1.5 to 2 lbs of ice per seat per day, and 3 lbs per seat if you're running a heavy cocktail or nightclub program. For a 60-seat cocktail bar with an active nightclub-adjacent late-night, that's 180 lbs/day minimum, 360 lbs/day realistic. Now double it for a summer weekend and you're at 700 lbs of ice needed on a Saturday.

An air-cooled 800-lb ice machine in a 90°F back-of-house room realistically produces closer to 600 lbs. Under-spec here and you're paying a runner to shuttle bags from a gas station at 11 PM.

Cube type matters as much as volume

Every ice format serves a different drink:

Most bars end up running two ice machines when the concept scales — a big-cube crescent unit for cocktails and a half-dice unit dedicated to the soda gun. If you're running a raw bar, oyster display, or a heavy frozen-drink program, add a flaker as a third unit. A Scotsman or Ice-O-Matic unit works equally well as a third rail; brand loyalty matters less than parts-and-service availability locally.

Storage, transport, and the under-counter question

Production and storage are two separate problems. A 1,000-lb-per-day machine on a 300-lb bin runs out at 3 PM. Match storage to your peak-hour draw, not your daily total. Behind-the-well drop-in bar ice bins get refilled from the main machine with an insulated ice caddy — Krowne, Scotsman, and Cambro all make them. Budget one caddy per 50 seats.

3. Glasswashers — the equipment that decides whether Friday works

The choice between a low-temp chemical-sanitizing glasswasher and a high-temp booster-heated glasswasher decides your labor pattern, your chemical bill, and how fast glasses come back to the well. There's a detailed dishwasher guide if you want the full breakdown; here's the short version specific to bars.

Undercounter for standalone bars

Under 300 seats and one bar? A single undercounter unit does the job. Two proven options:

• CMA Dishmachines — the CMA 181GW ($7,885) is a dedicated glasswasher, high-temp, 30 racks/hour. Cycle is under 2 minutes. Best-in-class for bars because the wash arm geometry is designed for glass, not plates.
• Jackson — the Jackson DishStar HT-E ($7,872) is high-temp with built-in booster, 24 racks/hour. Easier to service in most markets because Jackson techs are everywhere.

Chemical-sanitizing (low-temp) alternatives like the Jackson DishStar LT-H ($7,440) skip the booster, run at 120°F, and lean on chlorine sanitizer instead. Lower install cost, lower kWh, but the chemical program has to be dialed in with a supplier — otherwise glasses come out cloudy or beer-tainted.

Pass-thru for nightclub throughput

For a nightclub or a high-volume bar pushing 60+ racks an hour, undercounter is a bottleneck no matter how fast the cycle is. Move up to a Glastender GT-18+2 pass-thru glasswasher ($9,287) with drainboards flanking it — bartender loads dirty on one side, clean glasses come out and get racked up on the other. At absolute peak volume (think stadium bar, mega-club), a Moyer Diebel SW600R conveyor glasswasher ($18,761) is the right call — 72" wide, pass-thru, chews through Friday.

An undercounter high-temp glasswasher installed under a drainboard — the standard mid-volume config.

4. Back-bar refrigeration and draft

Back-bar coolers are 32-38" tall on purpose — they fit under the back-bar shelving that displays the top-shelf bottles. Choose based on door style and depth. Back bar coolers come in shallow-depth (about 24" front-to-back, fits against a wall) and standard-depth (about 30").

• Craft cocktail / mid-volume: the Continental BB59NGD 59" two-glass-door back bar cooler ($6,171) is the workhorse. Glass doors let the customer see the beer selection. Continental Refrigerator is a US-built line that punches above its price point.
• Bottle-heavy operations: a dedicated bottle cooler — the True TD-50 flat-top bottle cooler ($3,565) — is faster to grab from than a back-bar unit and cheaper. Bar-top height lets bartenders reach in without bending.
• Draft-heavy / sports bar: replace part of the back-bar cooler with a direct-draw draft system. The Beverage-Air DDN72HC-B ($6,060) holds 3 half-barrels behind 4 faucets. Add a walk-in keg cooler if you exceed 6 taps.

5. Sinks — hand, dump, and drainboards

Health code is non-negotiable. Every bar needs a dedicated hand sink that's not used for anything else, and it has to be within arm's reach of the well. A Krowne HS-11 wall-mount stainless hand sink with an electronic gooseneck faucet ($722) handles it cleanly.

Beyond that, plan a dump sink (usually a 1-compartment integrated into the underbar run — see underbar hand & dump sinks) and enough drainboard length to hold at least two racks of drying glassware. If your glasswasher is a pass-thru, the drainboards flank it. If it's undercounter, you want 24-36" of drainboard on either side.

6. Cocktail-program extras that pay for themselves

Once the fundamentals are in, a few upgrades pay back within a season:

• Glass frosters: the Glastender MF36-B 36" underbar mug froster ($4,063) chills 60+ pint glasses to serving temp. For a beer-heavy bar, this is the single upgrade guests notice most.
• Bar drainboards and drink rails: proper bar drainboards save 20% of the towel budget and cut spilled-drink cleanup time in half.
• Speed rails and garnish caddies: a well-organized garnish rail — lemons, limes, cherries, olives, orange twists — cuts drink build time by 3-5 seconds each. Over a Saturday, that's 100+ drinks.

Direct-draw draft alongside back-bar glass-door refrigeration — the standard bar-heavy config.

7. Nightclub-specific considerations

A nightclub is not a bar with louder music. The equipment differences that matter:

• Dual service wells. A single-bartender well tops out around 120 drinks/hour. Nightclubs regularly push 400+. Plan mirrored wells so two bartenders never fight for the ice bin or the rinser.
• Ice storage > production. Nightclubs have four hours of hell and 20 hours of nothing. Oversize the storage bin, undersize the production capacity, and refill from a walk-in ice storage bin — cheaper than doubling the machine.
• VIP / bottle-service prep station. A separate small underbar workstation with its own bottle well, ice bin, and glass storage keeps VIP orders from clogging the main well. A single 48" Krowne unit does the job.
• NSF-listed only. Health inspectors don't grade on the curve because you have a light show. Everything the ice touches and everything the wash cycle touches has to be NSF-listed — no exceptions.

8. Install, electrical, and cleaning — the details that decide day-one operation

Bar equipment installs are more finicky than kitchen installs because the plumbing, drainage, and electrical converge in a narrow footprint behind the bar. A few practical notes we walk operators through:

Plumbing and drainage

• Every ice bin drains. Plan a floor drain within 4 feet of the ice-bin location, or plumb a drop-line into the closest floor sink. Melt water needs somewhere to go — it can't just puddle on the mat.
• Ice machines need a dedicated drain and a dedicated water line. Both should be 3/8" copper or braided stainless with a shutoff valve within reach. Water filter on the supply — a $200 filter saves $2,000 in scale-related service calls over three years.
• Glasswashers need a hot-water supply at the right temperature (110°F minimum for low-temp; 140°F minimum for high-temp before the booster). Undersize the supply line and cycle times balloon.

Electrical loads to plan for

Cleaning, care, and lifespan

• Ice machines — a scale/sanitize cycle every 6 months, run by whoever handles preventative maintenance for the walk-ins. Skip this and the evaporator plates start throwing hollow cubes within 18 months. Expected service life is 8-10 years for a mid-range Hoshizaki or Manitowoc unit under proper care.
• Glasswashers — de-lime every 30 days if you're in a hard-water market, every 90 days on softened water. The Jackson and CMA units both have single-button clean cycles. Expected service life is 7-9 years; the booster heater is the first failure point (plan on a $600-$900 replacement around year 6).
• Back-bar coolers and bottle coolers — coil brushing every 60 days, gasket wipe-down nightly. A dirty condenser coil in a back-bar cooler is the single most common summer breakdown call we get. Expected service life is 10-12 years.
• Direct-draw draft systems — beer lines cleaned every 2 weeks, tap heads soaked in caustic monthly. Skipping line cleaning is the fastest way to ruin a beer program's reputation.
• Underbar stainless — rinsed nightly, deep-cleaned weekly with a non-chlorine stainless cleaner. Chlorine and bleach pit stainless steel; use a phosphate-based degreaser instead. Underbar stainless lasts 20+ years with proper care.

9. Common rookie mistakes

1. Undersized ice machine. Every operator does this. When in doubt, size up one tier.
2. Skipping the hand sink. Health code failure on inspection day. Non-negotiable.
3. Buying a dish-oriented glasswasher. Wash arm geometry matters. A dedicated glasswasher (CMA 181GW, Glastender GT-18) rinses better than a general dishwasher run on a short cycle.
4. Under-planning drainage. Every ice bin, glasswasher, dump sink, and hand sink drains somewhere. Coordinate this with your GC on day one — retrofit floor drains are miserable.
5. Ignoring the electrical. High-temp glasswashers need dedicated 208V/1-phase circuits with a booster-heater breaker. Draft towers need cold-side blowers. Ice machines need 120V or 208V depending on the model. Get the load calculation done before drywall.

Keep reading

• Underbar & Back Bar Refrigeration Buying Guide
• Commercial Dishwasher Buying Guide: Door vs. Conveyor, High-Temp vs. Low-Temp
• Comparing Manitowoc and Hoshizaki Ice Machines
• Coffee Shop Equipment Checklist

Ready to spec a bar?

Bar buildouts are one of the categories where the wrong equipment choice — a too-small ice machine, a dishwasher that can't keep up on Friday, a back-bar cooler an inch too tall for the mirror — costs real revenue for the life of the lease. Our sales team walks operators through the sizing math and the layout before anyone orders a single piece of stainless. Contact us to price a full bar package, or browse the full bar equipment catalog to start pulling models yourself.