From a smell of wet dog to bars on wheels
ServaClean has just celebrated its Silver Anniversary. This article traces the story of one of Britain’s best known bar fitments manufacturers.
It’s 25 years since ServaClean launched with a set of racks on which to store washed glassware in bars and avoid that “wet dog glass smell” which comes from storing damp glasses on flat shelves and makes you think “the beer’s gone off!”
At that time, the major brewers – who owned and operated most of the pubs in the UK – were striving to achieve a perfectly clean glass in which to present “the perfect pint” and ServaClean’s ‘GLASSRack’ was found to complete the process.
One thing led to another and it wasn’t long before bar operators were asking for solutions to other niggling problems behind their bars. ServaClean quickly responded with shelves for glasswasher baskets; space saving sink units; insulated ice chests for cocktail service and more. But the big jump came following the creation of ‘BARFrame’ – a screw-together stainless steel counter building structure to replace traditional timber construction which, let’s face it, just doesn’t stand the tests of time or hygiene in the unavoidable wet and sticky environment of most bar counters.
By this time, ServaClean had gained a lot of experience from their life behind bars and were surprised at the lack of operational planning in many bar designs. So the company invested in CAD technology to offer free bar planning with three-dimensional drawings which show bar operators exactly what will fit and how a particular layout will ensure an efficient, behind-the-bar operation. The planning works and, when it’s possible to compare “before and after” sales, increases of 20% are not uncommon. In one case, a holiday camp bar recorded a massive 54% jump in turnover whilst operating with three fewer staff.
ServaClean’s latest product is a top quality range of mobile bar units called ‘MOVERBar’ which uses different combinations of its standard fitments for each style of operation – from draught beers through to cocktails and even coffee service.
The company wouldn’t claim to be a “mighty oak” just yet but it certainly has many more “branches” to its business than when it planted that first “acorn” back in 1988.
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Article supplied by:
ServaClean Bar Systems
Tel: 01274 390038
Email: info@servaclean.co.uk
Web: http://www.servaclean.co.uk