I'm no good at building shells that look good, so when I download lots from the gallery now, it's usually because how I like how something looks on the outside, and then I totally gut the inside.
I agree with most of OP's complaints, but I will say, the only thing that makes sense about having two bars is that, while only one bartender shows up, if you specifically want your sim(s) to be able to build their bartending skills, it makes it easier to have that second bar available and not in use. Also, as far as I've ever noticed, it doesn't seem to hurt anything to have more than one bar... unlike, say, a second greeter, which seems to make things glitchy. But that's just my experience, ymmv.
