Why “Al Fresco” Restaurants are Always Full

Until recently, restaurants didn’t put much effort into decking out outdoor spaces. Today, however, the outdoor dining scene has changed, branching out from uncomfortable tables and chairs in the patchy shade of flimsy patio umbrellas, to encompass an entirely new outdoor experience. Out in the fresh air, away from the increasingly smaller and crowded living conditions they experience daily, patrons are flocking to outdoor dining for a host of reasons.

Al Fresco Dining is Trendy

Today’s outdoor diners are looking for ‘an experience.’ Festive, exotic outdoor locales that offer stimulation to multiple senses. In this invigorating environment, food and drink tastes fresher and better, inspiring indulgence.

Dining Outdoors is Intimate

A ‘secret garden’ diners are dying to discover, tucked-away from busier spaces, al fresco dining offers an escape, from couples looking for privacy and respite in a tall, comfy booth, to lone diners looking to ‘get away from it all’ behind the borders of greenery with a good book, or in front of a glare-free flat screen. 

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In busy downtown settings, outdoor dining offers an oasis – a secluded courtyard in the middle of the bustling city. Designs taking advantage of skyline views, waterfront landscapes, and people-watching offer opportunities even the most intriguing indoor dining spaces cannot.

Being Outdoors Promotes a Sense of Connection

Greenery in adjacent landscapes as well as those added via planter boxes not only add ambiance, but when populated with edible ingredients, can serve as a kitchen garden, providing fresh fare and giving customers what they crave: A more intimate connection with Mother Nature and their food.

On the water or surrounded by sweeping mountain views, Mother Nature provides the ideal ambiance for restaurateurs and their clientele to take advantage of. Eighty two percent of diners at full-service venues prefer such outdoor dining experiences while on vacation. In such an amazing atmosphere, diners feel more festive, boosting hors d’oeuvre and cocktail consumption, and leading to higher ticket prices. Restaurants in tourism-heavy districts would be well-advised to invest in opportunities that connect visitors to a sense of place.

Patio Seating Offers 2-for-1 Opportunity

Once restaurants add outdoor dining space, opportunities abound for expansion, allowing restaurateurs and guests to try something different outdoors. Dream-up ‘outdoor only’ foods and specials, or create an atmosphere completely different from the indoors, reversing your upscale interior to offer a more casual dining space, in essence, adding an entirely new restaurant to your existing space. 

Cashing-In on Cabin Fever

Because Americans spend so much of their lives stuck indoors, it’s fairly easy cash-in on cabin fever with an easily added patio space. However this doesn’t mean patrons will put up with anything. A rickety seating set, flimsy umbrella, and half-dead box of plants aren’t going to entice customers to an outdoor dining adventure. You’ll need to add a space worthy of your restaurant. After all, the exterior of your business serves as an advertisement for what’s housed under its roof.

Ensure an Inviting, Comfortable Outdoor Dining Space

Invite your patrons to make the most of any weather, with the latest in adjustable aluminum pergola technology and appealing features and furnishings. Open-up to the sun’s warmth on a cool fall day, while still maintaining the capacity to keep customers cool and protected from precipitation with 170-degrees of louver flexibility. Add ceiling fans for a space that feels up to 30-degrees cooler than exposed outdoor areas in the summer, adding a cozy fireplace centerpiece or outdoor patio heaters in the cooler weather season, maximizing the potential of your al fresco dining space with the ideal amenities.

As al fresco dining continues to gain popularity, is your business missing out on prime patio opportunities? Increase your seating area and boost your revenue potential. Discover new ways to reinvent your outdoor space. Contact Denver Pergolas to schedule your complimentary design consultation today.

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