Store clean glasses in a clean, dry place where they cannot be splashed, at least 6 inches above the floor, in a self-draining position that lets them air dry, and either covered or upside down. Handle them so nobody touches the rim, and keep them away from drain lines, leaks and lines that drip condensation.
Shop the equipment in this article: underbar drainboards and glass and dish racks. Freight is included on every order.
What the Food Code says
Four sections of the FDA Food Code cover clean glassware. Your local health department has the final say on how they apply to your bar.
- Section 4-903.11: cleaned equipment and utensils are stored in a clean, dry location, where they are not exposed to splash, dust or other contamination, and at least 6 inches (15 cm) above the floor. Clean equipment and utensils are also stored in a self-draining position that allows air drying, and covered or inverted.
- Section 4-903.12: clean items may not be stored in locker rooms, toilet rooms or vestibules, garbage rooms or mechanical rooms, under sewer lines that are not shielded, under leaking water lines or lines on which water has condensed, under open stairwells, or under other sources of contamination.
- Section 4-904.11: clean utensils are handled so that contamination of food- and lip-contact surfaces is prevented.
- Section 4-901.11: after sanitizing, items air dry and are not cloth dried. Air-dried items may be polished with a clean, dry cloth.
The best places for glasses under a bar
Most bars keep clean glasses in racks, because a rack holds glasses upside down, lets them drain and moves straight from the glass washer or sink to storage.
A commercial glass rack storage unit puts those racks under the bar top. Our GSC-2224 is 24 in. wide, 22.5 in. deep and 33 in. high without backsplash, in 20 gauge stainless. Washed glasses can dry on its embossed drip tray top while water runs to the two drains, and racks sit below on an adjustable mid shelf and a base shelf behind the open front.
If you would rather slide racks in on rails, our GRSC-2224 is a 24 in. wide underbar cabinet with two sets of adjustable L-shaped rack slides, a corrugated top with a 3 in. backsplash, and drains at both the top and the bottom shelf; it is currently out of stock. There is also an underbar cabinet with rack tracks, 24 x 22.5 x 33 in. with a drain top and open front, in our cocktail stations and workstations.
Between stations, an underbar drainboard gives glasses a drained place to sit. Ours has a corrugated 20 gauge 304 stainless top, a 3 in. backsplash and ten sizes from 18 x 12 to 22 x 48 in.
Places to avoid
Behind a bar, look up and under before you pick a storage spot. The code names lines on which water has condensed, and beer lines and cold water lines often sweat. Sink and ice bin drains, the floor itself and the spot right beside a dump sink or glass rinser are also common sources of splash. Keep glass racks off the floor on a shelf, cabinet or rack that holds them at least 6 inches up.
Habits that keep glasses clean
These are common practice, not code wording:
- Pick glasses up by the base or stem, never by the rim, and do not stack your fingers inside a stack of glasses.
- Let glasses finish draining in the rack before you stack racks or put glasses on a back bar shelf.
- Do not set clean glasses rim down on a bar towel. The towel is used across the bar all shift, and a rack or drainboard keeps the rim on a drained surface.
- Store display glassware on the back bar upside down, or covered, and move it into the wash rotation if it sits for days.
What to buy
- Enough glass racks for a full night of service, plus an underbar cabinet or shelf that holds them at least 6 inches off the floor.
- An underbar glass rack cabinet with a drain top at the wash end of the bar.
- Underbar drainboards to fill the gaps between sinks and ice bins.
- Tubular wall shelves for glass racks and bar tools in the back room. Ours are 18 in. deep in 48 or 60 in. lengths, or built from 16 gauge tubing in 22, 42 and 62 in. lengths, and air and water pass through them.
Freight to the 48 contiguous states is included in the price, with liftgate service on freight orders.