I use the towel bar for an actual towel....But not a roll of paper towels. It works well for this. And - I love the shelf because it has helped to prevent the grease drips down the front of the MAK. You can rest a pan on the shelf - with the lip of it just over the edge of the cooking grate with the lid open on the grill and remove whatever juicy, dripping wonderful food - without the grease getting instantly baked on the front of your MAK..... 
You mention that it’s keeps grease from dripping down the front of the cooking chamber. Although I am super careful and have never had an issue with that... I am curious... isn’t there a gap between the front shelf and cooking chamber... a big enough gap for grease to get through? I am asking because I do not know for sure... just appears from a distance that a small gap exists.
There is...And - I am struggling to create a visual for others to describe the how/what in preventing those stubborn grease dribbles on the front of your MAK.
Try to imagine setting a shallow rimmed baking pan on the shelf....Then you lift the lid on your MAK...now, you slide the baking pan over the edge of the shelf, and across the small gap ( the gap is narrow ..you cannot drop a pencil thru it...) AND...just across the edge of the MAK interior, so that when you remove hot, moisture laden food from the grill - the gap, and thus - the front of your grill is protected from any dripping....
It is a simple way to lessen...and all but completely eliminate... the burden of scrubbing off drips that will be almost instantly baked onto the hot stainless front of your MAK.
That makes perfect sense. In my experience though, although I am super careful I have had numerous instances where things did drip down the front of my MAK. Without exception, every single time I have been able to wipe the drips off with a damp towel. In other words, I usually have a damp towel handy if there is gonna be a chance of me dripping something. If you wipe as soon as you drip, it will come right off. At least that has been my experience 
I can see that as a good habit - to have the towel damp - at the ready. But, If you have the shelf, and full hands....You will probably not have that lightning quick reflexive action to "wet wipe" the grease as it occurs. You will not see it because of the shelfs position interfering with your line of sight when looking down at the MAK, as you load/unload food.
Not a negative on having the shelf. I love it. But, a shift in the method of how to best take advantage of it.
One of the features I appreciated with my previous smoker (Camp Chef DLX) was it's optional front shelf - more of a grate on hinges that folded down for storage. For me, it makes moving food on and off the cooker easy and convenient. One hand to hold the pan/tray/dish, and the other to open the grill, slide the food on/off and then close - all neatly and quickly. having this feature option was a big plus to me in deciding which new cooker to get.
