Shade Structures for Outdoor Restaurant Seating

When it comes to days without rain, outdoor seating is a major attraction for restaurants, bars, and cafés. Drive around any commercial area and you’re bound to see an eatery or two featuring a patio rife with tables, waiters, and customers. When the sun’s out and the temperature settles at a pleasant level, people on many an occasion request to dine or drink outdoors. Such an arrangement benefits proprietor and customer alike.

1. Dining indoors means dining in a contained space where noise becomes compacted and it’s more difficult to hear the person in the seat across from you. Sound travels freely in an outdoor space, making it easier to listen to companions and enjoy the surrounding atmosphere.
2. The more crowded a restaurant becomes indoors, the more the staff is forced to weave around customers (and each other) without accidentally dropping drinks and platters of food. In these situations, it helps to have a separate dining area. A patio allows restaurants to run smoother on busy days, as part of the rush becomes distributed to their outdoor section.
3. Most of all, though, outdoor seating attracts customers who want to hang out a few hours after finishing their meals.

For all these reasons, many establishments see the value in investing in outdoor seating. That said, it’s also beneficial to consider a few add-ons to enhance the overall experience. After all, the top reason customers request outdoor seating is for the added comfort and convenience. And you should try to maintain that even on, say, hot summer days. An excellent addition to these outdoor dining areas is commercial shade structures. Designed to be installed over tables or parallel to infrastructure, these sheltering fixtures bring class and style to your outdoor dining area while enhancing the customer experience.

Sun Shades Help Protect Customers from Harmful Sunlight and UV Rays

Part of the idea of exterior dining is to enjoy the fresh air and comforting atmosphere that is only possible in an outdoor setting. That said, too much exposure to the sun can be harmful. Because direct exposure to sunlight can harm our eyes, we’re forced to don sunglasses or constantly maneuver to stay away from the sun’s path as it traverses across the sky. (This can be a major inconvenience to customers who want to spend a couple of hours at the local bar or tavern; they must regularly adjust their seating to keep the sun out of their eyes.) Furthermore, the sun’s rays project ultraviolet radiation, too much of which can potentially cause sun spots and even skin cancer.

This is where the first of many benefits of shade structures come into play. Now you can set up tables beneath a protective canopy that helps block sunlight and UV rays. On hot summer days, shade also helps relieve the discomfort caused by the extreme heat. Think of it this way, too: the longer customers remain at your establishment, the more food and drinks they’re likely to order!

Sun Shades Improve Your Curb Appeal and Attract Customers

Appearances make a world of difference when it comes to first-time customers. In most cases, people learn about a bar or a restaurant simply by driving or walking past it on the street while en route to somewhere else. A street-facing patio with a protective sun shade (or multiple sun shades) is more likely to stand out as opposed to restaurants lacking them. Here at PalmSHADE, we use a powder coating process that allows us to color your sun shade to the hue of your desire. Think about this not only in terms of matching your building exterior but also in what’s most likely to the draw someone’s eye.

Provide Overhead Protection for Live Entertainment

Have you been thinking about hiring a local DJ or entertainer to spice up your restaurant’s atmosphere a couple of nights a week? Live entertainment is a great means of attracting crowds, and the patio is the perfect locale. Of course, you need to provide a space where the entertainment can comfortably work; they, too, need protection from the heat and ultraviolet rays. If you have a sun shade structure on your premises, they can work beneath its protective canopy. Overhead protection is also helpful if they have sensitive equipment that must also be sheltered from extreme heat and the elements.

In summary, shade structures offer numerous benefits to restaurants and other establishments with outdoor seating areas. And when it comes to purchasing these nifty installations, there is no better source than the team here at PalmSHADE. We work with each customer individually, identifying their needs, their spatial requirements, and picking out the shade that’s best for them. Each shade is custom fabricated to the exact size of the installation site.

Check out the video above to see how easily our shade structures are put together, and then contact our sales team to learn more and/or get a free quote!