Non-slip mats & tray mats
A tray with four full glasses on it becomes unstable as soon as you start walking. The glasses slide, knock against each other, and make the tray heavier on one side. An anti-slip mat solves this with a layer of rubber between the glasses and the tray.
Bar Professional supplies two sizes, thirty-one and thirty-six centimeters, both round and loose-fitting. They are not glued in place, so you can remove them for washing and put them back only once the tray is completely dry again.
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Which size fits your tray
Measure your tray before you choose. The mat has to fall inside the raised rim and must not curl up against the side, because a raised edge is exactly where glasses catch. The thirty-one centimetre size fits most round serving trays for four to six glasses; thirty-six centimetres belongs with the larger trays you use to carry a whole order at once. Also look at the surface of your tray. On a lacquered wooden tray the gain is greatest, because that surface is smooth to begin with. On a tray with a ribbed anti-slip layer a mat adds less, although it does protect the lacquer against scratches from glass bases. If you have trays in different sizes, take one of each format rather than one size for everything. The matching trays come in the same diameters.
How to load a tray
Put the mat on a dry tray. Water between mat and tray actually makes the whole thing slippery, which is the opposite of the intention. Place heavy glasses in the middle and light ones at the edge, because the pivot point of a tray is at your thumb and you want the heaviest mass close to it. Carry the tray on your flat hand and not on your fingertips, so you can correct with small movements of the wrist. If you are serving full glasses, leave a little space between them so that one sliding glass does not take the rest with it. Behind the bar the same mat works as an underlay while pouring, where it catches drips and keeps your bar tools in place.
Keeping rubber clean
The mats are made of supple rubber and can go in the dishwasher. Lay them flat in the top rack and not rolled up, because a mat that dries in a roll keeps that shape and will no longer lie flat. If the rubber turns smooth and dusty over time, that is a film of grease and sugar, which you remove with hot water and a degreaser. Let the mat dry completely before you put it back. Replace it as soon as it tears, because a tear catches exactly the base of a glass.
Looking further
For transporting clean glassware, glass crates are safer than a tray, certainly over a longer distance, and with glass brushes you get the glasses clear again afterwards. The overview of bar accessories and the glassware for the hospitality trade shows what else belongs with it, and the cocktail pages hold the recipes you serve, including the glass that goes with each drink.