Creating an outdoor hospitality space
Here, Guy Cooper, Managing Director at the catering equipment provider Mitchell & Cooper shares his top tips on creating an outdoor hospitality space.
Having an outdoor hospitality area can make a huge difference to your venue. It offers customers the chance to enjoy the good weather throughout the summer, and it can offer a unique space for events too. But how do you go about setting one up? Read on to find out some top tips.
Suitability
Firstly, you should decide if an outdoor area is suitable for your venue, whether you are running a café, bar, or pub and consider whether it is expected to bring in enough revenue to pay for any renovations you have to do. You can look at competitors in the area to see whether their outdoor spaces are bringing in customers.
Permissions
There are extra permissions and considerations to be aware of when adding an outdoor space to your hospitality venue. Many hospitality businesses in the UK are situated in or nearby residential areas, so it’s best to contact your local authority when considering any outdoor additions. If you sell alcohol, you’ll need to consult your licensing agreement to ensure the license covers the outdoor areas of the property as well.
Health & Safety
While not the most interesting part of running a venue, conducting a health and safety risk assessment is extremely important. You should assess whether there are any potentially dangerous aspects to your outdoor space — these might be steps, proximity to the road, overhanging tree branches, or any other risks you spot on your property.
Ergonomics
When introducing any new spaces or areas into your venue, you’ll need to consider the logistics of the new addition and any staff flow issues it may create. If you’ll be serving food outside, work out how staff will transport the dishes quickly and safely to the al fresco tables, and do a walk-through to ensure you know where staff and customers will be directed. Another option is to do a soft launch of your outside space — this means only serving drinks outside for a few weeks, then incorporating food service when you and your staff feel ready.
Furniture
Consider what furniture you’ll be installing outside and what kind of atmosphere you want to go for. The classic pub garden furniture is of course the picnic table, but you can also try out seating that’s built into the walls or adding cushions or awnings to make the space more cosy. Having a more colourful, vibrant, and comfortable space will encourage customers to make use of it, and if it is also visible to people walking past, it might bring in extra custom.
Lighting
Keep in mind that it’s important for the area to be well lit at all times so that people can see where they’re going. Match the lighting to the aesthetic you’re trying to create — for example, use simple, modern lamps if you are going for a sleek, gastro pub look, and explore more eye-catching options for a more eclectic style.
Heating
The outdoor heater is a classic addition of the bar, café, or pub garden in Britain due to our unpredictable weather. So, leave enough room for heaters when deciding how many tables to install. The best choice for a heater is one that will be both easy and safe enough for the customer to operate themselves. Look for options specifically designed for pub gardens, and try building them into awning frames or other features for extra safety and durability.
Weatherproofing
Keeping your outdoor areas weatherproof doesn’t just involve providing heating. You should aim to keep the outdoor space usable by customers for as much of the year as possible; this will make the renovation much more worth your money and time. Add awnings to protect from the rain and build secure wooden frames and roofs to protect from the wind.
Design
Take a moment to think about the bigger picture: the overall design of your outdoor hospitality space. You might want to embrace the garden theme and add scented herbs and flowers, or create a play area if you cater to a family demographic. It might be worthwhile having a wide space open for events such as BBQs and themed cuisine nights. Whatever you go for, have fun with the design aspect and your customers will have fun when they discover the space too!
Whether you run a café, bar, restaurant, pub or hotel, there may be plenty of opportunity to create a fantastic garden area. Use these top tips to get started on creating your very own outdoor hospitality space, and enjoy exploring the potential of opening up your venue this way.
