Welcome to our three-part series on bar and restaurant patio spaces! In this first installment, we'll cover the ins and outs of creating a patio space for your establishment.
Restaurants and bars with an outdoor patio or rooftop space have a built-in advantage of drawing customers in as well as outdoors. Others are figuring out how to add one on when space allows. However, when customers are drawn to your restaurant or bar because of its interiors and ambiance, setting out tables, chairs, and a chalkboard menu alone just won’t do. Thought needs to be put into outdoor space to translate your philosophies of food and sustainability from indoors to outdoors. There is also the challenge of keeping the breezy outdoor appeal going well into fall (and beyond, in some cases) even in cooler climates.
Although dining and drinking al fresco are not new, the necessity of owners keeping their businesses going strong during Covid was a cloud with a gleaming silver lining in that expanding guest space outside opened up a myriad of new possibilities that would inspire more customers to come in.
While starting from scratch can be costly, building a permanent patio structure is a worthwhile investment, even in a four-season location such as Denver, CO, according to Holly Arnold Kinney, the current owner and proprietress of The Fort, which has been a local institution since its opening in 1963. “Oftentimes, the weather would limit our outdoor service to spring and summer seasons when weather is mild in Colorado. Now, our covered pergola offers ceiling skylights, infrared heaters, and electric windscreen awnings to protect from the elements, which allows our guests to enjoy full service on the patio almost year round. Our beautiful patio is the silver lining from the Covid pandemic. We now serve 80-100 guests a night, full service, from May through mid-October.”
“We have been seeing a lot of restaurants and hotels put a greater focus on their outdoor areas, reflecting owners’ desires to have outdoor spaces feel like a true extension of their interiors,” says Christy Eckert, associate at The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry, a design firm in Atlanta responsible for the recent renovations or additions of outdoor dining and bar spaces at Frenchman’s Reef in St. Thomas USVI, Bay of St. Thomas, which encompasses six restaurant spaces; the 10,500-square-foot indoor-outdoor bar and restaurant 360 in St. Louis’ Maryland Heights neighborhood; and Spaceman at the Hyatt Centric Buckhead in Atlanta.
Miami and Dubai-based Paul Bishop, founder of Bishop Design by Paul Bishop, dedicates much of his design practice to year-round patios and hospitality spaces. As he is known internationally for his versatile and vibrant patio concepts for Sereia in Miami, PLAY Playground in Vegas, and SLS Hotel & Residences in Dubai, the first thing he will advise clients with existing patios or a desire to create an outdoor oasis is that the patio should be designed to not be a forgotten corner or an afterthought. In fact, one should work closely with a designer to find creative ways to connect the indoor and outdoor spaces.
A patio or outdoor rooftop should have its own identity even as it aligns with the venue’s overall concept; so much so, that Bishop recommends the implementation of fully operable walls or windows that will visually and thematically fully connect the indoors with the outside. “Outdoor spaces have always been a desirable way to dine and drink, especially in recent years where we spend more and more time indoors yet want to get out,” says Bishop. “Great al fresco experiences are in high demand. Furthermore, outdoors spaces can also be animated through elements such as accessories, art pieces, handcrafted tiles, and more.
Although Bishop’s work helps draw crowds to venues in cities known for their trend-setting reputations, he is not big on trends partially because of what’s involved in maintaining them. However, he does encourage owners and the designers they work with to keep their eyes open for new innovations in products that ensure comfort and relaxation, from the first cocktail to dessert and beyond. He points to the Salone di Mobile trade show in Milan, which showcases numerous traditionally indoor brands and manufacturers who now offer products created specifically for the outdoor space that harmonize with their indoor products.
“There have been great innovations in the furniture and accessories sectors, and outdoor furniture can now look just as elegant and be as comfortable as indoor,” Bishop details. “It is imperative to select materials which are suitable for outdoor and the local climate. Way too often, we see indoor furniture used outside, where the fabrics and frames deteriorate very quickly. It is a smarter decision to invest in durable furniture rather than make a short-term decision and have to replace the pieces frequently. More importantly, if you are based in a specific climate—by the sea, with heavy rains, or frost in the winter—make sure that you select products that can withstand the local conditions. Traditionally, in tropical climates, teak is a great choice for solid wood.”
Although Bishop steers away from trends and towards innovation, designers and the restaurateurs they serve share a desire to create something appealing that won’t immediately become dated. Even with that, there are new approaches to color, furniture selection, and customer comfort as well as an emphasis on sustainability that promise to reshape the way restaurants, bars, and their patrons will embrace the great outdoors.
Practical Tips for Creating Your Bar or Restaurant Patio
Architect Frank Mataipule and Interior Designer Megan Freckelton, Co-Founders of FAM Design, offer a few more practical suggestions on how to create or renovate your outdoor space:
- Decide whether you need to optimize (establishing a beautiful landscape as a focal point) or hide things (a sea of parking or trash receptacles) in your outdoor space.
- Make sure operations traffic and entry/exit back into the building is efficient.
- Ensure things like parking lot or office building lighting isn’t causing unwanted light pollution on the patio and that the color temperature of lighting is warm. 2700K is best.
- Have a clear understanding of the level of furniture maintenance and upkeep the owner is willing to provide. Finishes like teak will need to be oiled each year. If cushions are preferred, they will need to be covered or removed during poor weather. Materials like metal and composite wood are very low maintenance and durable.
- Flooring selection should be carefully considered, as avoiding any slip and fall is of the utmost importance.
- Blocking the wind is also a key factor to maintaining comfort for guests, and there has been an increase in enclosing patio spaces to allow them to be more of a year-round amenity to the main interior dining areas. Also, be mindful that exterior furnishings and finishes will also be affected by wind.
Look for part two of our patio series next week, in which we cover design trends!
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