The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has battered every industry, and the restaurant business has been affected perhaps more than most. As the emphasis shifts towards wellness and health, the restaurant industry has witnessed a change in the social behavior of its guests. Restaurant owners are still adapting to these changes and outdoor dining presents a perfect solution. As the harsh winter recedes and the weather is pleasant now, restaurant patios open up endless opportunities.
If you are fortunate enough to have an outdoor dining area, get ready rise above the competition. As you may know, the requirements of a restaurant patio are different from indoor dining. For example, outdoor furniture needs to be durable, easy to maintain, and all-weatherproof while being affordable. Read on to know how you can enhance the dining experience of your guests with these restaurant outdoor design tips:
What Are the Best Outdoor Restaurant Patio Ideas?
1. Deciding the Right Location
Just as the restaurant’s visibility and accessibility are crucial for its success, the correct placement of your restaurant patio furniture can do wonders. Think of your patio as an extension of your restaurant, but also consider it an opportunity to create a brand image through the patio design. After all, designing your restaurant patio is about creating a carefree and spacious ambiance for your guests. Whether you have a large patio or a small one, make sure to leave enough space between chairs and tables for the movement of your staff and guests.
2. Optimizing Your Seating Layout
While planning your restaurant outdoor design, understand that a restaurant owner and customer often have conflicting interests. For example, as an owner, you would want to maximize seating capacity by putting in as much restaurant patio furniture as you can. On the contrary, your guests would not want to compromise on comfort in a spacious place. Your restaurant patio’s layout should be such that it doesn’t interfere with your staff’s movement. Starting from greeting your customers to taking orders, from serving them to clearing the tables, a well-designed patio achieves all these tasks effortlessly.
3. Shade And Weather Protection Planning
While planning your restaurant patio design, ensure that you offer sufficient shade for a comfortable dining experience. Awnings and umbrellas are perhaps the most popular options to protect your guests from the sun’s glare and unpredictable weather fluctuations. If you have a balcony covered with a roof, your guests can enjoy their meals throughout the day. Otherwise, you can go for terrace awnings to cover the areas outside your restaurant building. A butterfly awning is another sensible way to provide shade over your restaurant patio without attaching it permanently to your restaurant’s structure. Restaurant tables with umbrella holes and matching umbrellas are also great ideas.
4. Commercial Quality Outdoor Restaurant Furniture
Most restaurant owners might get tempted to buy residential outdoor furniture or use indoor furniture on their patio. While they might seem like an economical solution with upfront cost savings, they can prove much more expensive in the longer run. Residential furniture is not suitable for rough and tough use of any busy restaurant. Similarly, indoor furniture lacks weather-proof protective layers and treatment to bear the brunt of harsh weather extremities. Although you save money initially, the cost of frequent repair or replacement may prove expensive eventually.
Invest in commercial furniture, specially built for outdoor use by a reputed supplier or manufacturer. Who said buying quality outdoor furniture will always burn a hole in your pockets? By contacting a wholesale furniture vendor who deals in bulk, you’ll save money. Similarly, by outfitting your entire patio from one vendor, you might get bulk discounts. However, ensure that your restaurant patio furniture is durable, easy to maintain, weather-proof, and stackable if you have low storage space.
5. Focus on exterior lighting and signage
Unless you want to open your restaurant patio during the daytime only, you must get exterior lighting and signage. After all, once the sun sets, attractive lighting and signage entice the new customers and draw them to your restaurant. More importantly, ensuring sufficient lighting in your restaurant patio is crucial for the safety of your guests and staff. A well-lit restaurant patio minimizes the chances of accidents and keeps stray animals away.
From string lights to lanterns, from candles to torches, you can choose any option according to your budget. Similarly, consider hiring a professional for displaying signage like no-smoking zones, parking lots, opening hours, etc., as they are more appealing than printed ones and last longer.
6. Beautifying your patio
Now that you have covered the basics, it is time to beautify your restaurant patio with decorative elements. However, you don’t have to spend a fortune on them. For example, small earthen flower pots, miniature plants, or climbers make your outdoor design more natural. Similarly, playing soothing music, or live music if your budget allows, can be a great mood lifter for your guests. A restaurant outdoor design that incorporates music, greenery, and lighting, calls for a wholesome dining experience for its guests.
7. Rooftop Patios
In crowded city streets, rooftop patios are probably the only place for outdoor dining. With an incredible view atop the tall skyscrapers, rooftop patios are a welcome change from the busy city life. So how to design an incredible rooftop patio for your restaurant? Well, add plenty of cushions or pillows, and jazz up the space with lounge furniture. Don’t forget to add shades by installing umbrellas, awnings, or cabanas to make it a comfortable dining experience for your guests. If your budget permits, consider investing in fire features or patio heaters for a cozy dining experience during winter nights.
8. Going above and Beyond
So, why do some restaurants have the perfect patio while others do not? Well, the difference lies in mastering the intricacies and presenting a cohesive ambiance for an unforgettable dining experience. From ambiance to the food, from service to the restaurant furniture, from lighting to music, all these elements blend to tickle your guests’ sensations. Finally, add a personal touch to create a unique brand that draws new customers while retaining your regulars.
How Does Open Restaurant Design Facilitates Outdoor Dining?
The open restaurant is a concept where restaurants offer seating along sidewalks and closed-off streets and encourage outdoor dining. The success of open restaurants in New York is such that the original temporary arrangements have now been declared permanent. With the local administration supporting restaurants during the pandemic, business owners are coping and bouncing back strongly. Some of the benefits of outdoor dining in open restaurants are:
1. Outdoor Dining Has Health Benefits
Why do people visit restaurants? Apart from the food and service quality, restaurant ambiance has a much say in their choices. Outdoor seating in a restaurant calls for a relaxing dining experience. After all, it is hard to beat the charm of enjoying meals amidst natural, fresh air. While ventilation is an instant mood enhancement, natural sunlight provides many nutrients and vitamins to our skin. No matter how stunning your restaurant’s indoor ambiance is, you just can’t replicate nature!
2. More Seating, More Revenue
As a restaurant owner, outdoor dining is a sensible investment as it increases your restaurant’s seating capacity. Also, an attractive restaurant patio design entices new customers while retaining your regulars. If space permits, you can set up an outdoor bar, pool or live music, etc., that enhances the revenue.
3. Flexible Solutions Enable Open Restaurant Design
Another reason for the popularity of open restaurants is flexible design solutions. As open restaurants expand to sidewalks, they require design solutions that enable transitions seamlessly, especially in a busy city street. For example, movable, flexible, commercial glass doors are perfect for the traffic flow into your restaurant. Unlike obstructive doors, your staff does not have to waste time in opening and closing them constantly. Alternately, you can consider weather-proof swing doors with ingress protection. Similarly, even if you are short on outdoor space, you can use flexible, portable walls to separate your guests physically.
4. Performance and durability round the year
When it comes to restaurant outdoor design, most restaurant owners tend to worry about the durability and life of patio elements between seasons. However, technological advancements make it possible to offer a comfortable and long-lasting dining experience throughout the year. Heaters, fans, firepits, and umbrellas for shade are just a few of the ways you can extend your patio season to possibly year round.
Summing it up
Outdoor dining continues to be an exclusive affair due to the scarcity of spaces like backyards, front yards, balconies, rooftops, etc. The open restaurant is a novel concept that offers flexibility to the owners by utilizing unused public spaces. In a nutshell, from restaurant owners to diners, having a restaurant patio is a win-win situation for everyone.
This article highlights some of the benefits of outdoor dining along with practical and easy-to-implement restaurant outdoor design ideas. Hopefully, these restaurant patio design ideas will guide you in creating a profitable restaurant business.
