As the temperatures starts to soar in wake of the long-awaited British summer more and more people are dining out – and restaurants catering for diners with alfresco style outdoor areas are seeing profits boom.
I love summer – and I’m not alone. Every year us Brits turn up in droves to beaches, restaurants, parks and various other outdoors hotspots spurred on by just a glimmer of warmth. 2019 though, has seen one industry boom more than others – and that’s the restaurant industry.
It’s fair to say at this point that this is what you’d expect when the weather heats up in the UK – but it’s a very specific number of restaurants that are flourishing – and that’s ones with outdoor alfresco style dining areas.
Given that us Brits don’t normally encounter what one would call a ‘long summer’, when we do get the heat, we tend to want to languish in pub gardens with a drink and good food. If you’re a restaurant owner reading this and you don’t cater for outdoor diners, then it’s high-time you did as record breaking numbers of Brits are opting for alfresco this summer.
Alfresco with Café Barriers – the best look
To anyone who is a restaurant owner reading this, then here’s some tips to setting up an incredible outside dining area with attractive café barriers. While you may have the preconception that setting up a dining area is just about sticking a few tables and chairs outside – there’s actually more to it than that.
Defining space and setting up barriers
The first thing to do is to define an outside space that is fundamentally separate from everything else outside – like an outdoor section dedicated to your patrons. One of the best ways to create a chic, stylish and more importantly attractive outside area is to utilise Café Barriers as pictured below:
Not only do these fantastic barriers create a sense of premises expansion, but they’re also intrinsically great at dampening noise from beyond them – and this is extremely important. I mean, who wants to be interrupted whilst chowing down to the sound of the local traffic bustle? No? Me neither.
But wait, there’s more – they’re great advertisements
Along with printed café barriers there comes the obvious (yet often overlooked) benefit of direct advertising. When you have the ability to design and brand your own café barriers they can dramatically increase brand awareness and general presence – which will in turn attract customers. It’s important to note here though, for those that prefer a discreet, more subtle look – block colours can also be a fantastic option.
Create an atmosphere within your alfresco dining area
Once you’ve set up your outside area, it’s time to really set the tone and atmosphere – and sometimes many restaurant owners overlook the décor and the visual of the area. Investing in things like lighting, patio heaters, large canvas umbrellas (this is Britain afterall – it rains – a lot), antiques and various other elements can really bring to life an area and fill it with vibrancy.
The numbers don’t lie
Unequivocally, outside dining areas work – and they work well. Investing in an outdoor space for your patrons will make your restaurant a more enticing prospect to patrons – and that means revenue. So if you haven’t yet invested in an alfresco style outdoor dining area then it’s high time you get researching, it’ll only pay off in the long run.
Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash
