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Benefits of a Heated Outdoor Seating Area for a Restaurant
The restaurant business can be a difficult one. Potential patrons have so many options from which to choose. If you want your restaurant to stand out and draw customers, you have to add unique features. One such feature is outdoor seating.
Outdoor seating itself isn’t unique — many restaurants have patios. However, if you design an attractive patio with an outdoor heater to make it cozy, you could have a potential goldmine on your hands. Find out how outdoor seating can augment your restaurant business.
Seating Extra Tables
Your restaurant only features so much space. Fire codes will dictate how many patrons you can have in your restaurant at any one time. Space limitations also dictate your arrangement of tables. So you can only accommodate so many parties in so many configurations.
Heated outdoor seating significantly expands this space, even in the winter. You can almost double the amount of seating by expanding outdoors, depending on your location. Your outside space might not be as restricted as indoors, too. You could create different configurations, such as more two-tops to more family-style tables.
Dining in the Fresh Air
Indoors can become stuffy, especially in a multi-use space such as a restaurant. You have areas for cooking, cleaning, drinks preparation, and dining. You end up with a lot of odors mixing.
An escape from stuffiness is one reason diners often enjoy eating outside. They can enjoy a pleasant breeze or simply escape the odors and noise inside the building. They might also enjoy their food more because they can focus on their own plate and its unique scents.
Watching the Show on the Street
The hope is that diners will focus on their food when they’re eating. The reality is that many people like to watch something else while they’re chewing. What’s more, they have a span of time while they’re waiting for their food with nothing to do.
If you have seating that looks out onto a nearby sidewalk,
your patrons will have a built-in show to keep them entertained. They can watch passersby — people-watching is a popular endeavor. Such heated seating usually conveys a casual ambience that’s further enhanced by the unpredictable show of the street scene.
Creating a Unique Experience
A restaurant offering good food isn’t enough to ensure success. Instead, the restaurant must create an atmosphere that diners enjoy. The experience must entice them out of their own homes — or away from a rival restaurant.
Outdoor seating allows you to promote a unique experience as an extension of your restaurant. For instance, perhaps you don’t have space to extend out. You might be able to extend up. You can have patrons dining on your heated rooftop. Diners love to eat on rooftops because they get a panoramic view of their surroundings. The outdoor heater makes the space cozy.
Promoting a Specific Ambience
Part of what makes a restaurant unique from dining at home is the ambience. Patrons can go out and experience anything from a raucous family affair to an intimate interlude for two. They can even feel like they’re getting away to another locale, such as a Parisian café.
Outdoor seating can help you create that ambience. For example, the heated exterior can be the casual part of your restaurant that helps families enjoy their time without worrying that the children are too loud. Conversely, you can set up landscaping and string lights to create some romance. You can even set up the outdoor area as a separate restaurant with its own bar and cooking station.
Achieve all of the above benefits of outdoor seating for your restaurant by creating the space and heating it with well-placed gas or propane patio heaters. Calcana can provide the heaters for your restaurant patio.
Is This Your First Patio Heater? What You Need to Know
How can you make the most of your outdoor dining area year round? A patio heater allows you to enjoy your evening — even when the sun goes down and a chill breezes across your backyard. If this is your first time shopping for a patio heater, take a look at these top questions.
What Are the Benefits of a Patio Heater?
Your deck, patio, or other outside area is complete — or is it? Whether you recently finished a backyard renovation project or have enjoyed your outdoor seating area for years, you can still benefit from a patio heater.
The top reasons to consider this outdoor addition include:
- Extra heat. This is the most obvious benefit of a patio heater. When the summer sun sets, you can still stay warm all night long.
- Extended season enjoyment. The outdoor fun doesn’t have to end when the summer does. With a patio heater, you can enjoy dining alfresco almost all year long.
- Guest comfort. Not everyone enjoys an outdoor meal — especially if the weather doesn’t cooperate. But with a patio heater, you can please a finicky guest who is hesitant to stay outdoors in the evening chill or spring or fall cold.
- Added style. A patio heater isn’t just functional. This backyard accent also adds aesthetic value to the area (depending on the style and model you choose).
- Easy setup. Forget about lengthy installations. Even though a fireplace or firepit can add warmth to your outdoor area, a patio heater doesn’t require multiple contractors, structural changes, or other complex installation processes.
Now that you know about the benefits of a patio heater, turn to the details. Before you buy a heater, you’ll need to learn more about the available fuel source options.
What Types of Fuel Sources Are Available?
The type of patio heater you choose depends on your individual outdoor needs and personal preferences. The top fuel sources that power these outdoor appliances are propane and natural gas. Propane is an affordable option but requires tank replacement.
Even though propane is easy to find, requires little extra installation, and comes in convenient containers, some homeowners prefer a more permanent fuel source. Enter the natural gas heater. How is a natural gas model different from a propane version, and what can you expect from this option? A natural gas heater:
- Hooks up to your existing gas line. Unlike propane heaters, this outdoor option doesn’t require tanks. Instead, you’ll need a permanent gas line that runs outdoors and to the heater.
- May require additional installation. If you don’t have a natural gas line, you can still get this type of patio heater. But you’ll have to hire a contractor to install a gas line in your yard or deck space.
- Won’t run out of fuel. A natural gas line means you won’t out of fuel — even if you use the heater nightly all summer, spring, and fall long.
Even though the two fuel sources differ in delivery, both provide plenty of heat. Most propane and natural gas patio heaters can create enough warmth and comfort to fill the average homeowner’s outdoor dining or entertainment area.
Where Do You Place a Patio Heater?
The answer to this question depends on your patio or deck area, the type of heater, and other installation needs (such as a natural gas line). The top installation options include wall mount, ceiling mount, and freestanding heaters. While a wall or ceiling mount heater provides a permanent heat source, a freestanding model allows you to move the heater to other areas if necessary.
Do you need a patio heater to complete your backyard home improvement project? Contact Calcana Patio Heaters for more information.