Welcome to the third and final installment in our series on bar and restaurant patio spaces! In the second installment, we covered the trends in patio spaces. In the first installment, we covered the basics of creating a patio space for your establishment.
More than ever, bars and restaurants are integrating the comforts of home into their operations, from the preparation of food and drinks to inviting surroundings that evoke a certain warmth and approachability, even at the highest price points. However, with regard to outdoor areas, the comforts of home also include protection from the sun, keeping outdoor pests at bay, and ensuring hosts, servers, and guests feel safe and secure.
“The approach we took probably stems from everyone being sequestered during the pandemic, when people were focusing on home renovation and outdoor dining,” assesses Robert Midyette, vice president of Food & Beverage at Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, Maryland. “Marriott is good example of [the right way to] bring residential style to its lobby and public areas. Now, as guests enhanced their home [environments], they don't want to walk into a commercialized environment that’s like an airport in some regards because management has gone the commercial route with outdoor furniture.”
It’s also easy to argue that management should put the same care, consideration, and investment into pest control and sun protection for a venue as they would their own homes, or did during the pandemic.
Kevin Vickers, project manager for The Mission in Scottsdale, Arizona, notes that a partially-enclosed white painted steel roof structure was added to shade the patio and decrease exposure to the elements during the winter and monsoon season as well as blazing hot Arizona summers. The ultimate goal was to make the patio feel warmer in design but be cooler in temperature, allowing the space to still feel open and like a “patio.”
Veritas’ Garcia, meanwhile, notes that in addition to the customizable pergolas, sail shades and retractable awnings are providing greater options for restaurants across the country.
“Sun protection is actually becoming more important as younger people are more aware than ever of sun damage,” observes Nicole Alexander, founder and principal designer of Chicago-based Siren Betty Design. “If you're 25 and spending a fortune on preventative skincare, you're not interested in getting roasted on a patio. Even in Chicago, where everyone is desperate to finally sit outside after the long winter, customers will still pass up a restaurant with an unshaded patio (even if it means they have a long wait to get into the restaurant that does have shade). We love a pergola covered in greenery, particularly a fast-growing, sprawling plant like hops, ivy, clematis, honeysuckle, jasmine or trumpet vines. Jasmine and honeysuckle smell amazing, but hops are actually the best because they don't attract as many bees.”
The Atlanta-based Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry’s Christy Eckert, meanwhile, notes motorized pergolas, which can be adjusted throughout the day, are increasingly popular. However, they have used wood beams or latillas for a warmer, rustic look.
Finally, landscaping can be used as a natural approach to shade. Accessories and plantings are also decorative essentials. “Layering in planters with unique textures and plants, decorative throw pillows, candles, portable poufs or outdoor blankets can help bring a patio from a simple outdoor space to a true outdoor living room extension,” she says. “Adding low lighting in planters, architectural lighting to steps and walkways, or string lights above a space can provide additional light in the evenings while simultaneously elevating your patio design.”
However, if you are serious about getting your patios recognized as year-round staples rather than a seasonal amenity, Eckert (along with the other designers) strongly recommends investing in heating devices as well as accessories that are as practical as they are fashionable. Products she likes includes Restoration Hardware’s fire tables at both dining and coffee table heights; Kindle Living’s heaters, designed to look like oversized floor lamps providing light as well as heat; outdoor area rugs from Perennials; rustic planters from Elegant Earth; and cozy Alpaca wool throw blankets from Serena & Lily.
“While we encourage owners to consider umbrellas, sun-shades, motorized pergolas, or wood trellises to provide additional shade during the heat of summer, we also encourage owners to consider integrating a heating element to expand their outdoor patio season into the late fall and winter,” says Eckert. “A fire table with a ledge for drinks or small plates is a great way to provide heat while also adding a decorative feature to your outdoor patio. If building a more substantial shade structure, we encourage owners to integrate heating lamps in order to provide flexibility for all seasons.”
According to The Fort’s Kinney, its patio has the best infrared “Space Ray” heaters installed on the ceiling of the pergola. “They require gas lines to be run but are the most powerful and warm heaters that are simple to operate and don’t take up floor space like moveable propane heaters,” she explains. We also provide American Indian designed Polartec blankets for guests to wrap up in while sitting on the couches around the fire pits, or while dining. We also recently added beautiful Poldina chargeable table lamps, which allow guests to adjust the lighting at their table for reading or romantic ambiance.”
Based on her Midwest clients’ needs, Alexander recommends commercial patio heater from Frontgate that can extend patio season well into October in colder climates and Wayfair’s affordable alternatives for venues in warmer climates. For blankets, she points to Eighth Generation’s blankets, which is owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe. She is also a big fan of an outdoor misting fan in warm climates.
“In [outdoor] restaurant hospitality settings, you want things that are easily cleanable and durable, and we did concrete outdoor flooring with built-in floor drains,” says Amanda Niel, co-owner of the newly-opened Little Coyote in Chattanooga, which features lots of plants, bamboo touches, and earth tones enhanced with emerald green accents and textured concrete to stave off slippage. “Along those lines, all of our hard surfaces are easy to clean, such as our granite table tops. And while we like a bohemian look, we selected faux rattan made into hospitality-grade outdoor furniture because there’s more wear-and-tear involved than in a residential setting. Going with a purveyor of furniture that caters specifically to institutional or hospitality settings is the best place to get what you need.”
Niel invested in blinds operated with a remote that are built on rails as well as those that are shaped like sails that work with the restaurant’s modern aesthetic. While Mexican yoga blankets are the fashionable non-tech accessory of choice during the cooler months, Bromic gas heaters—which she first admired in European cafes—are remote-operated and take ten minutes or less to heat up. While gas lines need to be figured into the patio design, Neil says they are safe and convenient as staff does not need to wheel out propane-operated portable heaters and won’t shut off if a strong wind comes along.
Pest control is another part of good patio planning as insects and other menaces can not only affect customers’ comfort but also sanitary conditions. Thankfully, there are modern and natural ways to be proactive in keeping the critters at bay. Kinney says that natural remedies are front and center at The Fort and notes one of the secret weapons in her venue’s arsenal are mint sachets, which are tucked under seat cushions and couches to repel mice and battery-operated fly “away” fans on each table that deter flies, bees, and other pests with little disruption to the guest experience (and harm to endangered bees). Alexander, meanwhile, says peppermint, cedar, patchouli, lemongrass, and lavender can also repel mosquitos.
While Eckert recommends ceiling fans or citronella candles, retractable screens provide a controllable and permanent solution. Her team takes birds and squirrels into consideration when designing outdoor spaces to prevent them from building nests inside the patio with products from companies like Nixalite. While professional pest control services offer some comprehensive solutions, Garcia says torches are also a reliable mosquito repellent at night.
Another menace, the potential of customers tripping and falling, can be kept at bay with secure railings and anti-slip tape on steps and high-traffic areas.
Based on his experience working in Miami and Maryland, Midyette insists managing the sun is critical not just because of the heat, but also shielding customers from glare and the unpleasant things direct sunlight does to food. “While Maryland doesn't get anywhere near as humid as it does in Miami (where I used to live), it can get warm and humid,” he says, adding he’s also a big fan of plants and foliage. “For this reason, we created a much more controlled environment by converting our patio into kind of a full enclosure with clear ceilings. We get 100% of the light capture, but it is environmentally controlled. The ambiance is outdoorsy, but the reality is we control the environment year round."
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