The Best Way To Keep Dips & Drinks Cool Outdoors

inflatable serving bar

We like to entertain. We enjoy having our friends and family over–kids running around, everybody enjoying themselves. But you know, it’s a lot of work. We’re always looking for things to make our lives easier, and this is one of those things.

I’m one of those people who want my chilled food to remain chilled. It just makes sense: why would you refrigerate your hummus and vegetables, only to leave them out for hours on a hot day? Not appealing. And you certainly don’t want to kill anybody with anything that may be mayonnaise-based and must stay cold.

I's Why's

  • ​Keeps food and drinks cold for my outdoor events
  • Lightweight & easy to move around
  • Small storage footprint
  • Long-lasting with proper care
  • Buy during the fall for lower prices

Cue the Inflatable Serving Bar. That’s not the actual name, but it’s what I call it because that’s what it looks like. On Amazon, it’s called a “Large White Inflatable Serving Bar Buffet Cooler with Drain Plug,” which is way too much of a mouthful.

But really, it works like a small, inflatable raft. There’s one type where just the sides are inflatable, and the bottom doesn’t inflate. Or there’s another one that has three compartments separated by inflatable walls. You inflate, dump some ice in it and add your food.

You could use it for drinks, but since those fit much better in coolers, I tend to just use my Table Raft for food. So now, people can feel comfortable eating ‘cold food’ without worrying that it’s been spoiled by the outside heat.

You can buy these year-round, but I recommend getting it in the fall. Since fewer people have outside parties then, the price usually drops from $22 to between $10 and $15. And if you take care of it like you would a normal pool toy, then you’ll get a good amount of life out of it—and, by extension, your party food, too.

We will never be without this ingenious product. It makes all of our outdoor entertaining much easier…And to date, we’ve yet to give anybody food poisoning.

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