When a venue or event operator asks us about a shipping container bar, the job I point them to first is the one we built for the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. It wasn’t one box with a counter cut in it. It was a matched set of four containers: a 40 ft main bar, a 20 ft beer garden bar, a 20 ft coffee and snacks container, and a 20 ft dangerous goods container for the gas bottles and chemicals that every busy bar site has to store somewhere.
We won the contract with Weser Ice and built all four units to their specification in our own Australian workshop. We also did the construction drawings, the 3D render and the walkthrough video. If you run a stadium, showground, racecourse, festival site, club or beer garden, this is what a proper container bar set-up looks like in practice.
The 40 ft main bar: built around how bar staff actually work
The main bar is the workhorse, so we designed it around service flow rather than looks alone.
- Rear loading. Two large roller doors on one side let the team restock the double-sided fridges from the back, so nobody is wheeling kegs and cartons through the service area in the middle of a rush.
- Two pop-up awnings over the long counter. They run on gas struts, so they’re easy to open and close, and they lock down when the bar isn’t trading.
- Storage built in. There’s plenty of shelving and cupboard space for stock, snacks and food.
- Cladding that still lets it move. The wood composite cladding is custom-fitted but leaves the transport connection points accessible, so the unit can still be lifted and relocated.
You can keep the original container exterior if you like the raw steel look, or choose a cladding finish that matches your venue or sponsor branding.
The 20 ft beer garden bar
The beer garden unit is a smaller version of the main bar for a more relaxed area of the site. All three food and drink containers carry the same wood composite cladding with black painted doors and awnings, so the whole precinct reads as one fit-out instead of a collection of mismatched boxes.
The 20 ft coffee and snacks container
This one is laid out like our container cafes and pop-up shops. It has extra cabinets, a stove, a cooktop and stainless steel sinks, with the space planned around the client’s own cooking appliances and food fridges. If your menu goes beyond coffee and snacks into a full cook line, have a look at our commercial kitchen containers as well.
Don’t forget the gas and chemicals: the 20 ft dangerous goods container
Every bar precinct has gas bottles and chemicals, and they need a safe, secure home away from the food and drink outlets. For this job we built a dangerous goods container from a 20 ft standard DG container:
- 12 additional galvanised mesh vents added to the bifold door panels, so the unit stays well ventilated and gases don’t build up, while it stays locked against unauthorised people.
- A steel mesh floor in case of spills, over a 2,500 litre bund.
- Bifold doors that open the full 6 m width, so getting bottles in and out is quick. They’re well balanced, so one person can open them.
- Shelving and frames fitted to suit what you’re storing.
Even with good ventilation, we still recommend placing a DG container somewhere isolated and not near any food or beverage outlet. It goes in on a truck, and a tilt truck or crane truck may be needed depending on the site. On solid, flat ground it needs no extra footings.
Built off site, craned in, ready to trade
All four containers are fully insulated and were built in our workshop before going to site. Our container bars and cafes travel on a truck and are placed with a crane. Where the site suits it, they can also be unloaded and moved with a forklift, because the top and bottom corner fittings are left exposed. That matters for venues that change their layout between seasons or events.
Planning a container bar for your venue or event?
Here’s what we’d want to know first:
- How many serving points you need and which way the crowd will queue.
- How you’ll restock during service, since that decides where roller doors and fridges go.
- Whether you need cooking, or just drinks, coffee and snacks.
- Where gas bottles and chemicals will be stored, well away from service areas.
- Your branding and cladding finish.
- Site access for a truck and crane, and whether the units will need to move again later.
Every container is built to your brief, so we quote per job, and delivery is always extra, quoted for your destination. Council and venue requirements differ from site to site, so we work through them with you and your certifier. We can build to any cyclone rating up to C4, engineered to suit your site and your certifier’s requirements.
For more hospitality work, see our Howard Smith Wharves container bars and kitchens in Brisbane, or read why we build Australian-made shipping container buildings.
If you’re interested in a custom shipping container bar or cafe, email sales@containerbuildgroup.com.au or call 1300 965 359. Our showroom and factory are at 39 Habib Drive, South Lismore NSW 2480, open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:00pm, appointment necessary.