You’ve spent a fair sum of money on your restaurant’s interior. What about outside? A great patio space can help your restaurant become a favorite during the many months when the weather is too nice to dine indoors.
Here are six things to consider
- It’s not just seating. There should be some kind of POS station complete with essential items so your wait staff doesn’t have to run back into the restaurant every time someone drops a fork or needs a napkin. Having a POS on the patio shortens client wait at that critical time when they’re deciding what to tip.
- What about in-patio prep? A grill station works great for hot appetizers, and seeing the heat and sizzle as the food is prepared can entice more orders. There can also be burners for quick sautés, or a simple station equipped with a creme brulée torch to bring back of the house action to the patio.
- Style counts. The patio should reinforce your restaurant’s concept: if you’re farm to fork, can you grow herbs? If you’re into brewing, what about growing hop vines over the patio? Italian? Bay laurel grows in part shade, and you might be able to open views to a more Mediterranean garden that can also provide fresh herbs for your recipes. More exotic? Bold colors can suggest an Asian theme, as can layering fabrics and bold plants.
- Water features separate conversations. White noise from the water masks and replaces the murmur of voices to create a more intimate, calming feeling. The water feature can also reinforce your restaurant’s style: tile for Spanish and North African, cut stone or steel for modern, rough stone for Asian.
- Circulation is key. Not only your guests, but your wait staff needs to move through the space. Think of the patio like a small city: wider roads allow quick access to key points, medium sized streets link areas, narrow streets slow the flow and walkways arrive at final destinations. In a patio, the avenues link the back of the house to the patio and the patio to the front entry. Once in the patio, lanes let guests and staff move from wait stations, restrooms, the bar area and the tables. The area around each table is the walkway, where people move slowly to find their seats. The key is making each table feel intimate while allowing rapid access for food delivery and busing.
- What’s around the patio? How will you define your patio space? If it’s blank walls, that’s not very appealing. You can add art, wrought iron, colorful textured paint, bold graphics such as murals to transform blank walls into interesting backdrops. If guests arrive at the restaurant by passing near the patio, make sure they have good views of the area as they arrive. Too many restaurants hide their patios well, resulting in fewer requests for outdoor dining, even astonishment when guests find that you even have an outdoor dining space.
If you’re planning a patio renovation, give us a call. Odds are we can liven up your space and help make your restaurant’s surroundings as appealing as its interior.