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The Bar of Tomorrow

Back-of-house beverage prep is table stakes today

The Bar of Tomorrow

Back-of-house beverage prep is table stakes today

By Kathy Casey
January 12, 2025

By Kathy Casey
January 12, 2025

 

The success of modern dive bars is fueled in large part by their value proposition—craft cocktails at affordable prices. To pull this off operationally, many of these bars are relying on pre-prep and batching. Of course, this strategy has merit outside of dive bars, too. Across the bar landscape, we all face an ever-changing situation with labor and talent, costs and the drive for innovation. Consistency, consistency, consistency—setting up a back-of-house cocktail kitchen is going to be paramount moving forward to streamline the bar of tomorrow. Batching and pre-prep not only lessen the labor needed to execute at the bar but also assist with cost control.

A well-run cocktail kitchen/batching program can revolutionize your cocktail menu, enabling creativity without sacrificing quality, and with just a few simple steps for service. If space and time are a concern, off hours can be incorporated into the bar prep schedule. For operators seeking solutions in an evolving industry, moving all your bar prep BOH just might be the perfect cocktail of innovation and efficiency.

About the Author

mmKATHY CASEY is a celebrated chef, mixologist and pioneer in the bar-chef movement. She is touted as the original Bar Chef and was named one of the top 10 most influential bar people of the past 25 years. Kathy is Owner, Chef and Mixologist with Kathy Casey Food Studios – Liquid Kitchen, a full-service global agency specializing in food, beverage and concept development, as well as brand launch opening assistance and training. Her clients include ACCOR Hotels & Resorts, Monin and the National Honey Board. She and her team have created multiple award-winning concepts, menus and programs for clients. As a brand owner, Kathy understands operations. Her hospitality brands include: Dish D’Lish a “Food T’Go Go” concept and the companion line of foodservice products, Rel’Lish Burger Lounge, Lucky Louie Fish Shack and Chicky, her new virtual concept. She has been featured in numerous national publications and has appeared on “Good Morning America,” Food Network’s “Unwrapped” and Travel Channel’s “Cooking Across America,” among others. Kathy is the host of PBS’s “Cooking in the Beautiful Northwest” and Small Screen Network’s “Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen” cocktail show. The author of 10 cookbooks, Kathy lives in Seattle.

 

 

About The Author

Kathy Casey

KATHY CASEY is a celebrated chef, mixologist and pioneer in the bar-chef movement. She is touted as the original Bar Chef and was named one of the top 10 most influential bar people of the past 25 years. Kathy is Owner, Chef and Mixologist with Kathy Casey Food Studios – Liquid Kitchen, a full-service global agency specializing in food, beverage and concept development, as well as brand launch opening assistance and training. Her clients include ACCOR Hotels & Resorts, Monin and the National Honey Board. She and her team have created multiple award-winning concepts, menus and programs for clients. As a brand owner, Kathy understands operations. Her hospitality brands include: Dish D’Lish a “Food T’Go Go” concept and the companion line of foodservice products, Rel’Lish Burger Lounge, Lucky Louie Fish Shack and Chicky, her new virtual concept. She has been featured in numerous national publications and has appeared on “Good Morning America,” Food Network’s “Unwrapped” and Travel Channel’s “Cooking Across America,” among others. Kathy is the host of PBS’s “Cooking in the Beautiful Northwest” and Small Screen Network’s “Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen” cocktail show. The author of 10 cookbooks, Kathy lives in Seattle.