>
> So - if there were no special reasons (i.e. restrictions in the bar)
> for having the till on the front or back bar, where would you put it
> and why?
>
Preferably a bartender shouldn't have to turn his or her back towards the
guests and every tool, including the till, should be in front. So from this
point of view I would say that it should be placed on the front (I guess this
is what you both agreed on).
However optimal bar design should use more of the space surrounding the
bartender (or bartenders) and place certain stuff at the back. I don't think
that you can consider the positioning of the cash register while excluding
this point because almost every bar makes use of both the back and the front.
As it is a bulky instrument and not included in the chain process of producing
drinks, the position of the till is something of minor importance compared to
other bar tools and it depends much on the other variables in bar design.
There are many special reasons why you wouldn't like the till in the front.
From this point of view I would say that the till is in most cases best placed
at the back.
I agree that these arguments are not strong and only negative (only reasons
why it is better not to place it in front instead of reasons why it is good to
place it at the back). Often the cash register is placed at the back only
because it doesn't fit, doesn't look nice or it obstructs the work flow.
Somehow the till always gets in the way of other things. (this is is in
contrast with e.g. the call spirits which you place at the back for positive
reasons like better visability for the guests)
What about having two tills? Often the back is seen as a storage and the front
as the working space. The till is a storage of money and should be placed at
the back where you can easily hide, store and put away things (no reason to
have >$1000 in front of you). But what about having a second smaller till in
the front for fast and easy work flow? This would solve the duality of the
cash register being both a storage and a tool.