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While dining rooms and bars are often considered the most important components of restaurant designs, outdoor seating areas have been growing in popularity from patios, to sidewalks and rooftop dining options.

Incorporating an outdoor seating area holds several benefits for restaurant owners — they help seat more guests, expand seating options and areas, while helping to increase revenue and enhance the dining experience. Whether you want to incorporate an outdoor patio or enhance an existing one, there are several ways to improve your restaurant’s outdoor seating area to drive sales and expand your seating options.

Outdoor Restaurant Design Trends and Seating Ideas

To promote your restaurant patio design or outside seating area, try:

1. Adding plants and green spaces: Research finds that plants can enhance our sense of well-being and perception of space. There’s a strong movement trending to bring more plants into the restaurant scene — whether in the form of small flower pots or wall-to-wall leaves. Showcase healthy greenery with tree grates or planter accessories for added flair. Or, complement the color schemes of your outdoor restaurant patio design with brightly colored commercial planters.
2. Choosing appropriate outdoor seating: Choosing outdoor restaurant seating amenities that are both attractive and durable is crucial to attracting customers. It’s important to offer outdoor seating that stands up to the elements with easy maintenance, while also providing style and an attractive area for restaurant patrons.
3. Accommodating various climates: No matter how much planning goes into your restaurant’s outdoor seating area, the weather remains an unpredictable force. Accommodate all types of elements by setting up dining sets with umbrellas to shade visitors from the sun, or an awning to block the rain.
4. Promoting art from local artists: Highlighting your city or town local artists helps show your commitment to the local community and inspires those customers to visit. Decorate your restaurant’s indoor or outdoor patio walls with art from local artists and celebrate the local culture that surrounds your establishment.
5. Setting up a speaker system: Music plays an essential role in attracting and retaining visitors to your outdoor restaurant. Arranging a speaker system that reaches customers outdoors or hiring live entertainment can go a long way in increasing revenue.
6. Establishing separate waiting and ordering areas: More and more restaurants are opting for delivery services like Grubhub and Uber Eats that cater to individuals beyond their restaurant’s physical space. To decrease the congestion and commotion delivery drivers may create, setting up a separate area for guests to wait for a table is a must. Decorate your outside seating area with an attractive shelter to keep restaurant guests comfortable as they wait to be seated — and out of the way of the traffic created by delivery staff.

Enhance Your Outdoor Restaurant Patio Design Today

At Bramsford Site Furnishings, we’re committed to helping you elevate your outdoor restaurant patio from basic to exceptional with beautiful outdoor amenities. We offer a wide range of products that can enhance your restaurant’s aesthetics, attract customers and drive sales.

Browse, customize your options and checkout directly on our site – and get it shipped to your restaurant ready to transform your outdoor area!