Serving Dining Customers in the Winter Months

*This article was originally published on   12/18/2018  and updated on  12/2/2021

Is your patio properly prepped for outdoor dining in winter weather? Mother Nature can dish out some serious problems for patio patrons. Fortunately, you can ensure an outdoor dining space that keeps your staff and customers comfortable year-round, no matter the weather, with a commercial pergola. Pergola louvers pivot up to 170-degrees, providing shelter from Denver’s wintry weather and later adjusting to deliver easy access to the sun’s warmth on those rare, warm winter days.

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Pergola Heating Keep Customers Warm and Cozy

StruXure commercial-grade pergolas feature a lightweight, heat-safe, fully extruded aluminum design that’s compatible with a variety of winter comfort accessories. Keep diners toasty and warm, ensuring maximum comfort and higher ticket prices. Expand usable seating, warming up your patio and your profits with these efficient patio heating options:

• Built-in infrared patio heaters
  Infrared heaters are highly efficient and ideal for airy patios that would otherwise suffer heat loss. They can be built-in to your commercial aluminum pergola or wall-mounted out of the way, eliminating space issues and tripping hazards. ‘Point and shoot’ radiant energy heats guests and objects in the path of heaters, offering warmth like rays of sunshine.
• Freestanding patio heaters
  Floor patio heaters offer fast, easy setup, making them a popular choice for restaurant and bar patios. They typically operate on propane, featuring a fuel-storing base for the tank. Heat is emitted from the top, covering a 5-10 foot radius. A built-in reflector redirects heat down, preventing heat loss. Extending the pole upward widens the heating range.
• Portable patio heaters
  Portable patio heaters are smaller and easier to move than freestanding patio heaters and more powerful than tabletop models, providing a fast and flexible outdoor comfort solution. Place these heaters with care to avoid creating tripping hazards for staff and customers.
• Tabletop patio heaters
  Budget-friendly gas and electric tabletop heaters create an intimate setting, but their smaller size limits heating capacity.
• Patio fire pits
  Today’s gas fire pits come in many attractive designs, from large statement centerpieces to fire pit tables perfect for crafting a unique outdoor dining experience. Aesthetics range from traditional logs and coal to modern linear models with glass beds and push-button or remote-control operation.
• Patio fireplace
  A large outdoor fireplace makes for a stunning focal point, drawing guests into its warmth, elevating the status of your restaurant, and earning your business word-of-mouth praise.
• Motorized Patio Screens
  Adding motorized screens to your StruXure pergola is an excellent way to improve comfort, cutting frigid winter winds and containing warmth from patio heaters. Magnatrack screens slide easily into place when needed and away when you’re done. A press of a button allows for instant response to changing weather. They also offer excellent protection against harsh sunlight and pests in warmer months.
• Blankets
  Blankets enhance warmth and add a personal touch to the dining experience.

Transition from Season to Season Easily with a Louvered Pergola  

Adjustable louvered pergolas are the perfect solution for turning under-used, uncovered restaurant patio seating and outdoor real estate into dependable, fully functional, year-round dining space. Louvered pergolas facilitate an easy transition from winter to spring, summer, and fall dining, allowing you to cover (or uncover) your seating to manage the changing weather at the flick of a button. Dial-in full sun, partial to full shade, or engage leak-free rain protection on-demand with the ingenious design of StruXure louvered roof systems.

Get ready for outdoor dining in the winter. Expand your seating space and the outdoor dining season, drawing in more business with a comfortable, inviting restaurant patio space. Learn more about outdoor shelter solutions for your patio from the commercial pergola experts at Denver Pergola Systems. Contact us at 303-505-6669 today.

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