5 Factors to Consider When Choosing Restaurant Awnings for Your Business
When purchasing an awning, a business needs to carefully consider a variety of things. Since an awning is often going to be the first thing that a potential customer sees, the awning must be aesthetically pleasing. At the same time, it needs to be easy to maintain and able to last several years without any issues.
Fixed Awning or Retractable?
No one option is better than the other. It will be dependent on the business.
If a restaurant relies on having people seated outside for the bulk of the year, then a fixed awning may be the best option. A fixed awning is a much more permanent and rigid construction. This means that staff will not have to be constantly moving it around.
A retractable awning is much more temporary. A retractable awning may be a much better solution for those businesses that utilize their outside space for short times of the year e.g. because of harsher weather, or in tourist destinations that may not get regular customers outside of the tourist season.
The Style Of The Awning
The awning is part of the brand of the restaurant it is sited outside.
The style of the awning should be a reflection of the type of food being sold within that restaurant. For example, BBQ restaurants may benefit from a more Texan-style aesthetic to the awning. A restaurant that deals heavily in tapas and food from Southern Europe may see more benefit from a Mediterranean style of awning.
When a restaurant is purchasing a restaurant awning, they need to choose something that will enhance the aesthetics of their property. They need to think about the style and whether it really is giving off the best possible image of their business.
Size Of The Awning
This is the easiest thing to think about.
A restaurant will need to choose an awning size that covers all of the space that they want to use as their seating area. This should be fairly easy to measure.
A restaurant will have to remember that if they undersize the awning, then there may be portions of their patio that their customers will not be able to seat.
It is also important that the awning is not oversized. This could end up encroaching on public spaces, or the space owned by other businesses, and cannot be installed.
Restaurant Awning Materials
For the most part, this is going to be a personal choice. This means the restaurant is thinking about the colors of their restaurant awning, which can severely limit the number of material options that they have available.
Generally speaking, a restaurant will opt for one of the following materials for their awnings:
- Metal
- Plastic
- Synthetic fabrics
- Natural canvas
It would be wise for a restaurant to choose a fabric that has been specially designed for use in a restaurant. This is because they tend to be treated for the rigors of regular use e.g. UV protection, water resistance, and the ability to keep mold at bay. In many cases, they should also be fire-resistant.
A lot of the choices will have to factor in where the restaurant is based.
Other Considerations
Most restaurant awnings will be nothing more than a simple piece of material covering an area. However, there are some businesses that may wish to have more elements installed in their awning. This can include:
- Fans for awnings in hot and humid climates
- Heaters so the awning can continue to be used during the colder months of the year
- Lighting for those awnings that are likely to be used at night
When a retractable awning is used, it may be worth it for a restaurant to invest in a motorized awning. This can save staff time retracting the awning each evening.
Conclusion
Restaurants will need to carefully consider a restaurant awning that they have installed on their property. Opting for the wrong style of an awning could severely hamper a business. It may even result in higher maintenance bills. Restaurants are advised to work with experienced awning retailers to ensure that they end up with the perfect awning to represent their business.
