Fitting out a pub is two jobs pretending to be one. The bar has to pour fast on a Friday night, and the kitchen has to push out counter meals at the same time. This buyer’s guide for pub and bar equipment covers what sits behind the bar, what sits in the kitchen, what the whole lot tends to cost, and the sizing mistakes that quietly cost operators money for years afterwards.

Bars and kitchens buy on different rules

Kitchen equipment is bought on capacity. Bar equipment is bought on speed and recovery.

A bistro fryer is judged on how many serves an hour it manages. A glass washer is judged on whether it can turn glasses around fast enough that your staff never run out mid-rush. Those are different questions, and a supplier who only talks about the kitchen will undersize your bar every time.

The other difference is running hours. Bar refrigeration mostly runs all day and all night, doors opening constantly. Energy rating matters more here than almost anywhere else in the venue.

Buyer’s Guide for Pub and Bar Equipment: the front-of-bar essentials

Underbar and bottle fridges : The workhorses. Buy commercial rated, not display units built for retail. Doors open hundreds of times a shift and domestic-grade seals will not survive it.

Glass washer : Cycle time matters more than capacity. A 90 second machine beats a bigger one running three minutes when you are three deep at the taps.

Ice machine: The most commonly undersized item in any pub. A rough planning figure is around one kilogram of ice per patron per day, more in summer and more again if you pour a lot of spirits. Check the daily production rating and the bin capacity separately, because they are different numbers.

Keg storage : A cool room if you have the space and the volume, upright keg fridges if you do not. Whichever you choose, the beer lines and their run length need planning at the same time, not afterwards.

Back bar and glass frosters: Presentation gear. Worth buying properly if your venue leans on the look, easy to defer if it does not.

The kitchen behind the counter menu

Most pub kitchens are built around a fairly predictable menu: parmas, steaks, fish, burgers, a roast. That usually means a two-basket fryer at minimum, a chargrill or griddle, a salamander, a combi or convection oven, a bain marie for service, and enough cold storage to hold a weekend’s prep.

Cold storage is where pubs get caught. A kitchen that runs fine Tuesday to Thursday can hit Saturday with nowhere to put the prep, and staff start stacking product into the bar fridges. Size the coolroom or uprights for your busiest day, not your average one. The same logic in our essential café equipment checklist applies here, just at larger volumes.

Forty years of hospitality expertise, since 1984

Since 1984 we have supplied the hospitality industry with professional advice, reliable equipment and excellent customer service. We have a wealth of experience in all types of projects ranging from international hotels to large and small pubs through to suburban restaurants and takeaway outlets. All our staff are equipped with the knowledge, expertise and creativity to add value to your project.

Pubs have been a steady part of that work. Suburban hotels, sporting clubs, country pubs with a dozen taps and a bistro that fills on Sundays. What it means in practice is that when someone tells us their Saturday numbers, we can usually tell them their ice machine is too small before they have finished the sentence. You can read more about our team, or look through the full range in our shop.

What pub and bar equipment costs

Prices move with brand, size and whether you buy new or reconditioned, but these ranges give you a working budget.

A full pub fitout covering both the bar and the kitchen commonly runs well into six figures once refrigeration, cooking gear and installation are counted. Refurbishments are a different exercise. Most operators replace in stages, starting with whatever is closest to failing or costing the most to run.

Reconditioned stock has a real place in a pub, particularly for backup fridges and secondary prep gear. It suits equipment where a failure is inconvenient rather than closing. Your ice machine, glass washer and main cold storage are usually worth buying new.

Sizing mistakes that cost money later

Undersizing the ice machine : The most common and the most annoying. Running out of ice on a hot Saturday is a lost-revenue problem, not a minor one.

Choosing a glass washer on price : A slow cycle creates a bottleneck that never goes away and cannot be fixed later without replacing the machine.

Ignoring energy ratings on bar fridges : Equipment running twenty-four hours a day with constant door openings makes a poor rating expensive over three years.

Planning beer lines last : Line length, cooling and cellar layout all interact. Deciding the keg storage location late usually means compromising something.

Treating installation as delivery : Power, water, waste, ventilation and refrigeration all need booking in sequence. Our guide on how to choose a commercial kitchen equipment supplier covers what to ask about install support before you commit.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand sets the temperature control requirements your refrigeration has to meet, and there are separate rules for displaying food that apply to any bistro service counter or carvery.

From inception to completion

From inception to design, throughout installation to completion, let our expert staff oversee your project. No matter how large or small, we work closely with architects and consultants on your commercial kitchen and bar requirements. We arrange qualified service technicians for equipment problems whenever they crop up, because a kitchen that is down is a kitchen losing money.

Pub projects benefit from that more than most, because the bar and the kitchen are usually being built by different trades on the same timeline. Somebody has to hold the sequence together.

Why publicans keep coming back to us

We have traded from Station Street in Dandenong since 1984, stock over ten major brands, and run a genuine showroom you can walk into rather than a catalogue. Support runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, payments are 100% secure, and we ship anywhere in Australia. Get in touch for shipping prices to your location. If you are working through a full venue fitout, the guide to essential equipment for starting a new café is a useful companion for the smaller front-of-house pieces, and equipment finance is available if you would rather own the gear than rent it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)