Granite and quartzite
Hard and heat tolerant, with natural movement in the stone that suits a warm, rustic room. Sealed where needed, they handle spills and the odd hot dish well.
Restaurant Countertops and Bar Tops in Temecula
Temecula Custom Countertops is a trusted fabricator of restaurant countertops and bar tops in Temecula, CA and across Riverside County, specializing in bar tops, host and service counters and dining room ledge tops. We offer patio bar counters and pastry or display counters.
- Free in-home measure
- You approve the seams on the slab
- Price in writing first
Get a free measure or a bid
Or call (951) 466-2371. Calls only, we do not receive text messages.
About our restaurant countertops & bar tops
Our team provides bids from your floor plan and equipment schedule, delivering cleanable, hard-wearing countertop surfaces for both residential and commercial projects. We return shop drawings with every seam, edge and well cutout marked for your contractor's approval, and the tops are cut in the shop, never in your dining room.
From cutting a clean opening for an ice well to setting a long bar top in a single overnight shift, our team handles every detail. Serving Temecula, San Marcos, Fallbrook and Canyon Lake, we plan the install around your service hours.
How we work
Measured, Cut and Set by One Crew
Homeowners get a free measure. Wineries, restaurants, offices and builders get a bid from their drawings.
One crewThe people who measure your cabinets are the people who set the tops
Seams on the slabSeam lines marked on the slab you picked, and approved by you before cutting
Wet-cut in the shopStone is cut and polished in the shop, never sawn inside your house
CA License #585047Licensed, bonded and insured
Front of House Versus Back of House
A restaurant has two very different kinds of counter, and they are usually bought from different trades. The back kitchen runs on stainless steel prep tables and equipment specified by the kitchen designer. The front of house, where guests see and touch the surfaces, is where stone and engineered surfaces earn their place: the bar top, the back bar, the host stand, the service station, the dessert or pastry counter, the window ledge where guests eat, and the patio bar.
This page is about the front of house. Those surfaces carry the look of the room, and they also take the abuse of a busy service: glassware, cocktail shakers, spills, citrus, hot plates set down by a rushed server, and constant wiping with sanitizer between covers.
Old Town Temecula has a dense dining district of steakhouses, bistros, seafood houses and brunch spots, and the wineries around the valley run their own kitchens and restaurants too. Every one of those dining rooms has at least one counter a guest leans on.
Cleanable Surfaces and Where the Seams Go
The California Retail Food Code expects surfaces in food areas to be smooth, durable and easily cleanable, and an inspector will look hard at any surface where food or drinks are prepared. Even where a front-of-house counter is not a food-contact surface, the same logic makes it easier to keep clean.
- Non-porous surfaces such as quartz and solid surface do not absorb spills, which suits a service station or a dessert counter.
- Natural stone at a bar should be sealed and kept sealed, especially around wells and sinks.
- Seams are kept out of the wet zones. A joint beside an ice well or a bar sink collects water and residue, so we place seams where the top stays dry and support them underneath.
- Cutouts for bar sinks, ice wells, drop-in coolers and glass rinsers are polished smooth and sealed at the edges so water does not track into the substrate.
Your equipment schedule tells us every cutout before the measure, so the shop drawings show them exactly.
Bar Top Materials and Edges
The bar top is the signature surface of most restaurants, and the material has to look right and wear right for years.
Quartz
Consistent colour, non-porous and low maintenance, which suits a modern room or a chain look that must match across locations. It should be kept away from direct sun on a patio.
Porcelain slab
Thin, very stain resistant and stable in sunlight, a strong choice for an outdoor bar.
Edges
Bar edges take impact from glassware and elbows, so an eased, rounded or bevelled edge outlasts a sharp square one. A thicker built-up edge gives a substantial look without the weight of a full thick slab.
Installing Around Service Hours
A restaurant earns money every night it is open, so the install is planned for the hours it is not. The measure is taken on the finished bar die wall and service cabinetry, often before lunch service. The tops are fabricated in the shop while the restaurant carries on. On install day the crew arrives after the last cover, sets the bar top and the counters, mounts any sinks, seams and caulks, and leaves the room clean for the morning prep crew.
For a new build-out the countertop install is fitted into the general contractor's schedule after the millwork and the plumbing rough-in, and before final inspection. For a remodel in a working restaurant, we can split the job so the bar is replaced on one closed day and the service counters on another.
Dust is kept to a minimum because all of the cutting is done wet in the shop. On site we make only small adjustments.
Patio Bars and Outdoor Dining
With hot, dry summers and mild winters, many restaurants in the valley seat guests outside for most of the year, and an outdoor bar is a common addition. Outdoor tops face direct sun, heat and dust, as well as the same spills as the indoor bar.
Most quartz is not made for outdoor sunlight and can discolour over time, so outdoor bars usually use granite or porcelain slab. Darker stones in full sun get hot to the touch, which matters at a bar where guests rest their arms, so a lighter colour or a covered bar is worth considering. Outdoor cutouts for sinks, ice wells and taps are planned with drainage in mind, since rain and wash water have to run off the top rather than pool at a seam.
If the patio bar is built on a masonry or steel base, we measure once the base is finished and the equipment is on site.
How a Restaurant Countertop Bid Is Priced
As a guide from industry ranges, restaurant countertop and bar top packages are typically estimated at roughly $10,000 to $60,000. The total depends on the length of the bar and counters, the stone, the edge profile, the number of cutouts for wells, sinks and coolers, any overhang supports, whether there is an outdoor bar, and whether the install has to be split into several overnight visits.
To give you a bid we need the floor plan with the counter runs, the finish schedule naming the material and edge, the equipment schedule, and the date the space must be open. We price from those documents and return shop drawings for approval once the bid is accepted.
These figures are estimates and subject to change with material prices and the scope shown in your drawings. The final price is set in our written bid.
Caring for a Restaurant Bar Top
A good bar top stays good with simple habits. Wipe spills quickly, especially citrus, wine and cocktail mixers on natural stone. Use a cleaner the stone maker approves rather than harsh acids or abrasive powders, which can dull polished stone and wear down a sealer. Keep a trivet or board under hot pans and skillets, even on granite, because a sudden temperature change can stress a stone near a seam. For natural stone, a periodic water drop test tells you when it is time to reseal.
Edges and Finishes
The process
Four Steps From Call to Countertop
No stone is cut until you have seen the slab and signed off on where the seams go.
Call or send the form
Tell us the room and the material you have in mind. Businesses and builders send drawings for a bid.
Pick the slab
You choose the slab at the supplier, and we mark where each seam and cut will fall for your approval.
Measure and fabricate
We measure on your installed cabinets, then cut, edge and polish the tops in the shop.
Set the tops
The same crew sets the tops, mounts the sink, closes the seams and cleans up before leaving.
Questions
Restaurant Countertops & Bar Tops: Common Questions
Can you install a bar top overnight?
Yes. We fabricate everything in the shop first, then set the bar and service counters after the last cover so the room is ready for the next day's prep.
Which surface is easiest to keep clean behind the bar?
Non-porous quartz or solid surface is the easiest. A sealed granite also works well, as long as it is resealed when the water drop test shows it is absorbing.
Do you install stainless steel kitchen tables?
No. Back-of-house stainless is supplied by the kitchen equipment dealer. We handle the stone and engineered surfaces in the front of house and at the bar.
Where will the seams be on our bar?
Away from the ice well, bar sink and main pour positions wherever the slab sizes allow. Every seam is shown on the shop drawings for your approval before we cut.
Can you match a bar top across several locations?
Engineered quartz keeps colour consistent from one order to the next, which makes it the usual choice for a group that wants every location to match.
Will the health inspector accept a stone bar top?
Inspectors look for smooth, durable, easily cleanable surfaces in food areas. We follow your designer's specification and the requirements your inspector applies, and we seal cutouts and edges near water.
Can you add an outdoor bar later?
Yes. Outdoor bars are often a second phase. We recommend granite or porcelain outside because most quartz is not made for direct sun.
What do you need from us to bid?
The floor plan, the finish schedule, the equipment schedule with every well and sink, and your opening or closed dates.
Free measure
Ask us about restaurant countertops & bar tops
A free measure for homeowners, and a written bid from drawings for businesses and builders.
Licensed, bonded & insured · License #585047. Calls only, we do not receive text messages.