Self Serve

The self-serve area at the Bankstown RSL bistro is a short servery run along one wall, where members and guests collected drinks, condiments, and side dishes between the main bistro counters. The servery is a stainless-steel bench with under-counter refrigeration for cold drinks, an open shelf for bread and rolls, and a row of condiment dispensers along the back wall. A drinks fridge sits at one end, its stocked shelves emptied at closure. The lighting above is the warm-white fluorescent fixed throughout the bistro. Signage in the deep crimson and white of the rest of the room directs traffic between the self-serve, the buffet, and the bar.

Self-serve sections like this one were part of the standard RSL bistro layout from the 1980s onwards, breaking out the items that didn't need staff attention from the main counter service. The arrangement worked: members could top up a drink or grab an extra roll without queueing twice. Bankstown's self-serve ran along the wall opposite the buffet, with the cash register area between them. The Bankstown RSL was demolished in March 2019. The servery, the drinks fridge, and the condiment dispensers were stripped before demolition; the metalwork was scrapped with the rest of the bistro fit-out.