With outdoor dining and socialising on the increase, we know that having a good outdoor space can double your trade.
But it needs to be properly furnished and have the right level of shade and comfortable seating, to attract the right sort of customers.
We know that outdoor furniture is an investment for your venue, and therefore every asset needs to work hard for you; this is where we’re here to help.
Our Outdoor Furniture Experts have put together 5 top tips to help you maximise your outdoor trade this year in a medium size garden.
Please bear in mind, that our experts would class a medium outdoor area as fitting approx. 12-20 tables or where it is approx. 100sqm size.
1. Make A Great First Impression
Having an outdoor space can be a big advantage and selling feature for your venue.
An sure way to increase footfall is to smarten and brighten up the frontage and any gardens that are visible from the road/entrance.
Customers tend to judge their experience on what they first see, so make sure you have a welcoming, easy to access frontage.
If you can’t see your outdoor dining area from the front, make sure it’s clear to customers that you have an outdoor seating area and direct them to it quickly.
Planters and hanging baskets with real or fake plants will add immediate brightness and character for very little cost. Take a look at our range of planters – they come in various colours and materials meaning you can choose a style that best suits your venue.
If you can fit outdoor furniture, placing a few tables and chairs at the front of the venue will make customers aware that you cater for outdoor dining.
2. Who Are Your Ideal Customers?
Do you mostly cater for couples, families, older customers, or a range of ages and groups?
Tables and benches are a great option to help increase your capacity, and allow you to cater for both large and small groups, the old and the young. All our tables and benches can be purchased individually, and mixed with individual chairs allowing for maximum flexibility.
Tables and benches allow for a mix of small children and adults to sit together, but they’re also great for elderly customers as they’re easily accessible.
If you cater to an older demographic, or if customers are likely to stay for longer periods of time to enjoy a sit-down meal, you may want to consider tables and chairs rather than tables and benches. The Pacific Range is ideal as it’s lightweight and easy to move, but the chairs also have supportive backs and arms which will improve comfort for your customers.
The Rattan Range is also a great option as its comes with chair cushions for added comfort, and looks stylish making it ideal for golf clubs and hotels.
We recommend you don’t place tables and chairs on soft ground as the chair legs may be liable to sink into grass and mud. Picnic tables and benches are much better for softer ground.
All these elements should increase dwell time, spend per head and give customers an enjoyable experience for repeat custom.
3. Do you have a terrace and grass area?
If you have a mix of hard standing patios, terraces, or grass areas this will naturally zone your outdoor spaces.
If you don’t have this, it is worth considering zoning areas with different types of outdoor furniture.
It’s worth considering whether your dining customers or drinking customers have a longer dwell time? You might make more revenue from sit down dining customers but they stay less time as once their meal ends they leave. Whereas drinking customers may spend less, but you may have more of them and they may stay for longer.
This therefore indicates that maybe having a few dining tables and chairs is good, but maybe you need to increase the number of bar tables and stools?
Take a look at the Gabion Range of Bar Tables as these are a great option to have on their own as feature stand-up tables, but you can also pair with some of the Bexley Range Bar Stools to give customers the option of sitting down with their drinks.
Adding a commercial outdoor shelter or gazebo to your seating area will also help to zone your outdoor spaces. It will also create the perfect shade and shelter meaning customers can dine outside no matter the weather.
4. Events and Private Hire
If you have a medium size outdoor area, you can make the outdoor space work hard by hosting events.
To ensure the weather doesn’t stop your events, we recommend taking a look at our commercial outdoor shelters. These can be great for secluding private events from the main dining area, or can simply provide a weather proof shelter for entertainers and hosted events.
The Woodberry Commercial Metal Gazebos are a great place to start. They come in a range of sizes which are all under 2.5m meaning they don’t require planning permission.
From a furniture perspective, if you need to move furniture frequently to accommodate different style events then consider opting for lighter weight furniture that can be easily repositioned by staff.
5. Special Features of your Outdoors
Remember that your outdoor areas will have an impact on the experience of your customers. We want to help you create a good experience and help you become a destination of choice.
If you are lucky enough to have great views, a canal, river, or seaside location, make it a focal point of your outdoor seating area by strategically arranging furniture around it.
If you don’t have the advantage of natural features, then create special features that appeal to your customers. Whether this is including a children’s play area in your outdoor area, creating an outdoor kitchen or bar area or putting in quirky features like fountains or sculptures.
Free Site Surveys & Expert Advice
Our team are frequently out visiting clients venues for free site surveys to advise on what outdoor furniture and shelters would work hard in the space that they have.
We’d love to help you too, so whatever your venue size, location or current range of furniture, why not have a chat with our team of friendly experts to discuss your requirements.
Give us a call or email to get in touch. Or you can now contact us via webchat too.
01926 889922