A bar (also called a pub, tavern, saloon, or taproom) is an establishment that serves drinks, especially alcoholic beverages such as beer, liquor, and cocktails, for consumption on the premises.
Bars provide stools or chairs for their patrons along tables or raised counters. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band,comedians, go-go dancers, a floor show or strippers (see strip club). Bars that are part of hotels are sometimes called long bars or hotel lounges .
The term "bar" is derived from the specialized counter on which drinks are served and is a synecdoche applied to the whole of the drinking establishment. The "back bar" or "gantry" is a set of shelves of glasses and bottles behind that counter. In some bars, the gantry is elaborately decorated with woodwork, etched glass, mirrors, and lights. When food is served elsewhere in the establishment, it may also be ordered and eaten at the bar.
History
There have been many names throughout history for establishments where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages. Even when an establishment uses a different name, such as "tavern," the area of the establishment where the bartender serves the alcoholic beverage is normally called "the bar."
There were prohibitions in first half of the 20th century to alcoholic beverages at various times in countries including Finland, Iceland, Norway, and United States, where the illegal bars during prohibition period were often called speakeasys.
Legal
Laws in many jurisdictions prohibit minors from entering a bar, or just the area where the bar is located, when food is served. There are also cities and towns that have legal restrictions on where bars can be located, types of alcohol served, require food and coffee to be served, or prohibit in legally dry jurisdictions.
Some Muslim countries including Brunei, Libya, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, prohibit bars for religious reasons.
Types
There are many types of bars, which can be categorized according to the types of entertainment provided at the bar and by their clientèle.
Bars categorized by the type of entertainment or activities offered at the bar include: Topless bars , where topless female employees serve drinks or dance; sports bars , where sports fans watch games on large-screen televisions; salsa bars , where patrons dance to Latin salsa music; and dance bars , which have a modest-sized dance floor where patrons dance to recorded music. However, if a dance bar has a large dance floor and hires well-known professional DJs, it is considered to be nightclub or discothèque.
Bars categorized by the clientele who come to the bar include: biker bars , which are bars frequented by motorcycle enthusiasts, and in some regions, motorcycle gang members; gay bars , where gay men or women dance and socialize; cop bars , where off-duty law enforcement agents gather; and singles bars where (mostly) unmarried people of both genders can socialize and meet.
A bar's owners and managers typically choose establishment names, decor, drink menus, lighting and other elements they can control so as to attract a certain clientele. However, bar operators have only limited influence over who patronizes their establishments and a bar envisioned for one demographic can become popular with another. For example, a gay bar with a dance floor might attract an increasingly-straight clientele over time and vice versa. As well, a blues club may become a de facto "biker bar" if its main clients are biker gang members.
There are also retro bars and lounge bars.
Wine bars
Although the trend of wine bars in the United States was not well-received in the 1980s, they began to gain popularity in the 90s. By early 2000, wine bars became very popular and started popping up in many metropolitan neighborhoods across the country. Wine bars now rival the local hangouts such as coffee shops and local bars. The wine bar phenomenon offers the taste before you buy philosophy.
Wine bars put a new spin on wine tasting. They seek to remove the association of wine with upscale clientèle and overwhelming wine lists and replace it with a more casual and relaxing atmosphere. Many of these bars are furnished with nooks and booths encased in rich colors and plush surroundings in hopes their guests will linger. Wine bars look to embrace the intellectual stimulation linked to wine and offer an alternative to the bar scene. The laid-back environment lends itself to a good socializing setting with a less crowded feel and more intimate appeal.
Modern wine bars have begun to incorporate a larger variety of food choices. Traditionally associated with cheeses and desserts, wine bars are looking to combine wine with appetizer-sized gourmet selections to enhance the palate. The concept brings the tastes of fancy restaurants to a dressed-down setting. Restaurant owners and chefs take the opposite approach and use wine bars as an opportunity for expansion.
Venues
Australia
In Australia the major form of licenced commercial alcohol outlet from the colonial period to the present was the pub, a local variant of the English original. Until the 1970s, Australian pubs were traditionally organised into gender-segregated drinking areas—the "public bar" was only open to men, while the 'lounge bar' or 'saloon bar' served both men and women (i.e. mixed drinking). This distinction was gradually eliminated as anti-discrimination legislation and women's rights activism broke down the concept of a public drinking area accessible to only men. Where two bars still exist in the one establishment, one (that derived from the 'public bar') will be more downmarket while the other (deriving from the 'lounge bar') will be more upmarket. Over time, with the introduction of gaming machines into hotels, many 'lounge bars' have or are being converted into gaming rooms.
Beginning in the mid-1950s, the formerly strict state liquor licencing laws were progressively relaxed and reformed, with the result that pub trading hours were extended. This was in part to eliminate the social problems associated with early closing times—notably the infamous "Six O'Clock Swill" -- and the thriving trade in "sly grog" (illicit alcohol sales). More licenced liquor outlets began to appear, including retail "bottle shops" (over-the-counter bottle sales were previously only available at pubs and were strictly controlled). Particularly in Sydney, a new class of licenced premises, the wine bar, appeared; there alcohol could be served on the proviso that it was provided in tandem with a meal. These venues became very popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s and many offered free entertainment, becoming an important facet of the Sydney music scene in that period.
In the major Australian cities today there is a large and diverse bar scene with a range of ambiences, modes and styles catering for every echelon of cosmopolitan society.
Canada
Canada has absorbed many of the public house traditions common in the UK, such as the drinking of dark ales and stouts. Canada adopted the UK-style tavern (also adopted by the U.S), which was the most popular type of bar throughout the 1960s and 1970s, especially for working class people. Canadian taverns, which can still be found in remote regions of Northern Canada, have long tables with benches lining the sides. Patrons in these taverns often order beer in large quart bottles and drink inexpensive "bar brand" Canadian rye whisky. In some provinces, taverns used to have separate entrances for men and women.
Canada has adopted many of the newer U.S. bar traditions (such as the "biker bar", and the "sports bar") of the last decades. As a result the term "bar" has often come to be differentiated with the term "pub", in that bars are usually 'themed' and often have a dance floor (such as a dance bar), as opposed to establishments which call themselves pubs, which are often much more similar to a British tavern in style. Before the mid 1980's most "bar" like establishments that sold alcohol were simply referred to as taverns, regardless of what they looked like or what they sold. As with any major lifestyle trend that occurs in the U.S. the "bar" trend promptly spread to Canada. Canadian sports bars are usually decorated with merchandise and paraphernalia featuring the local hockey team, and patrons watch the games on large-screen televisions. Starting in the mid 1990's taverns started to take on the look, feel and even the names of the U.K type pubs. A simple example would be the name "The Fox and Fiddle" as a pub name, whereas names like these rarely existed before. There is huge proportion of bars compared to pubs.
Legal restrictions on bars are set by the Canadian provinces and territories, which has led to a great deal of variety. While some provinces have been very restrictive with their bar regulation, setting strict closing times and banning the
Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill, 3227 McKinney Ave., 214-999-8932 ...
Frankie's Sports Bar 3227 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204. Phone: (214) 999-8932 ... NAME: PHONE: EMAIL: STATE: UPTOWN: LEWISVILLE: COMMENTS: ...
Sports Look Restaurant and Sports Bar - baby back ribs - sports ...
Sports Look Restaurant and Sports Bar is designed as a meeting place for ... Tim "Sparky" Parson, who used the name for his sports ...
Sports Bar Franchises
With a sports bar franchise, you will have a plan in place for you, plus the benefit of having an already established sports bar and grill franchise name on your side.
Sports Bar, The Sports Page, Sarasota, FL,
The Sports Page, Sports Bar, BK Wine and Spirits, Sarasota, FL. ... Name: Email: Subject: Comments
The Adventures of Johnny Northside: Halek's Wants to Change its Name ...
Ya Baby Sports Bar?! I don't think so. The name sounds sleazy and scuzzy and reeks of the very urban dystopia that NoMi has been working so hard to dispel.
How to Name a Sports Bar | eHow.com
How to Name a Sports Bar. You've bought the bar, brought in new bar stools, changed the taps to your favorite beer, even spent a small fortune on high definition televisions.
Leo's Sports Bar Home
Here’s a group of customers enjoying the view from the “Dam ... Leo’s Sports Bar— where everybody knows your name!
Midnight Sun: The new Mount Vernon sports bar has a terrible name ...
Months ago, ryan97ou and I openly wished for a sports bar in Mount Vernon. When we heard a sports bar was actually going to open there we were overjoyed.
Creative Ideas for a Sports bar name...?!?! HELP? - Yahoo! Answers
I have been planning this sports bar for a couple …
www.onecrazyfan.com
Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: 1800's Saloon (Chip's bar) 13608 N. Cave Creek: Phoenix: AZ: 85022: 602-482-8420: 5 O'Clock Somewhere: Myrtle Beach: SC: All Star Sports Bar