Officially the season of summer begins on Tuesday 21st of June however we at Alliance Online understand that in many people’s minds summer is already in swing. One of the best ways to spend your days in the summer heat is through outdoor dining, whether it be your back garden, patio or alfresco dining in commercial restaurants. The demand from alfresco dining has seen a rejuvenation since the end of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions with people wanting to experience the joys and freedom that outside dining entails. We will be providing a deeper insight into why alfresco dining is the future as well as ways your establishment can make the most of the summer using alfresco dining.
Alfresco Dining Delights
As mentioned previously, alfresco dining is on a rise currently in the UK and the reasoning for this surge has a lot to do with the opening up of restaurants and the lockdown restrictions that saw the general public mostly cooped up for 18 months. However this isn’t the only factor, over 79% of UK diners have attested that they would be willing to spend more time and money in a restaurant if they incorporated outdoor dining. Not only do we see possible profitable benefits of introducing alfresco dining, but there are also other potential advantages of this notion such as health and happiness. Providing an outdoor dining experience will see a greater exposure to vitamin D, this will improve a customer’s general happiness which I’m sure you will agree is much needed in the current world climate. Alfresco dining provides the customer with more choice and freedom which is necessary in the modern restaurant. The best way to manage a restaurant in the modern era is by providing options and variety to the customer, whether this be through changing menus or a wider choice of seating areas.
The Best Way To Integrate Alfresco Dining
I imagine alfresco dining to the uninformed sounds simple to integrate. This unfortunately is not the case and can lead to numerous issues when done incorrectly. To avoid any issues arising when implementing alfresco dining we will provide a rundown of the integral features and aspects a restauranteur will need to cover.
- This might sound obvious but making sure the space for alfresco dining is possible. The space for suitable alfresco dining is the most important aspect to guarantee. Making use of any room you have on your premises is also not a good judgement as alfresco dining needs an attractive space for eating.
- The atmosphere and theme you are looking to create should match the overall aesthetic of the restaurant. One of the most popular ways of designing an outdoor area for dining is the use of plants and other types of greenery that eloquently matches any restaurant style. This is a judgement call for the restaurant owner themselves and is completely up to you to create the ideal ambience for your establishment.
- As touched on in the first point, an attractive space is crucial for alfresco dining. By attractive you may be misled into thinking I mean a beautiful area with a magnificent view overlooking the idyllic hills. What I mean is attractive for the restaurateur and the staff that will have to work in these conditions. An example of an attractive area would be one with an optimal floor plan that allows for ease-of-movement and efficient service.
- The final criticality that will need to be taken care of is customer happiness. As said countlessly by everyone in marketing and restaurant owning over the decades ‘the customer is always right’ still rings true to this day. If a customer isn’t happy with the space created, it can have a butterfly effect on the entire experience they have at an establishment. This is why it is so important that a restauranteur picks out a spacious and attractive place for customer to dine-in.
The Current Trends In Outdoor Dining
If you are looking to start your adventures into alfresco dining it can be daunting knowing what to choose and the appropriate themes a restaurant should be conveying. To help gauge the possibilities of what a restaurant can do to create an effective atmosphere for alfresco dining we at Alliance Online will introduce some of the major themes the sector is currently seeing. One of the main trends we are seeing in 2022 for alfresco dining is creating a cosy atmosphere and dining experience through heaters and vibrant plants. Whilst simplistic, this is one of the best approaches a restauranteur can make. Capitalising on the push and demand for more natural scenery in the alfresco dining sector would be a very wise choice to make.
Another trend we are experiencing in 2022 with regards to outdoor dining is the inclusion of a fireplace outside. The idea for this is to create a setting that one would see whilst camping. An outdoor stone fireplace would provide a showstopping aspect to a commercial restaurant. We would recommend using an outdoor fireplace only if you would be committed to making it a spectacle.
Regulations
There are various regulations and licenses that will need to be sorted out before a restaurant can introduce an alfresco dining area. If you are planning to include an outdoor dining area it can be assumed that alcohol will be served in this manner as well. If this is the case, we would strongly urge you to obtain an alcoholic premises license which allows a company to serve any alcoholic beverages. There are other potential licenses that will need to be secured, one of these being a potential pavement license. A pavement license allows for restaurants to place any furniture on a pavement. The penalties and requirements for getting this license do differ depending on region, so please contact your local branch of government to learn further about these potential issues.
Outdoor Dining At Home
It isn’t just a case of commercial dining that alfresco can refer to. In fact due to Coronavirus and the stoppages it caused, commercially many people decided that they would enjoy an alcoholic beverage or food in their gardens. This trend is still ongoing with many preferring the isolation and homely nature of their own environment rather than going to the pub or restaurant. Outdoor dining at home may sound like a lot of unnecessary hassle however it is quite simple to achieve and can produce a visually pleasing atmosphere that is perfect for the summer season ahead. Please refer to our website where you can find stylishly brilliant patio heaters as well as attractive food presentation designs that wouldn’t look out of place in a commercial restaurant.
At Alliance Online, we believe alfresco dining is the future of the restaurant experience. With an emphasis placed on the freedom and potential benefits that come with sitting outside in a commercial restaurant, alfresco dining will vastly improve the customer happiness and enjoyment of being at a restaurant. To understand what kinds of products and equipment would be needed to aide alfresco dining please refer to our Alfresco Dining section on the Alliance Online website.
