When visiting a restaurant or small cafe you may notice they have awnings attached to them. If you are also a restaurant or cafe owner this may make you wonder whether you should be doing this as well. Let us discuss with you some of the key facts surrounding restaurant awnings, to help you decide whether this is something you should invest in or not.

What Is A Restaurant Awning?

Let’s start with the basics. A restaurant awning is simply an awning that is used in a restaurant setting. The most common types of awnings you can see being used are retractable awnings, freestanding awnings, and drop arm awnings. These can all be seen being used in a restaurant or cafe scenario for many different reasons.

Why Are Awnings Worthwhile?

There are many reasons why an awning is going to be worthwhile for your business. The main one is the amount of growth you can allow your business to have. You will no longer be limiting who can visit you. Those out walking their dogs will now be able to enjoy a meal with you by utilising your outdoor seating option.

Why Are The Different Types of Awnings Used?

As mentioned before, there are three main types of awnings used in restaurants and cafes, these are retractable, freestanding and drop arm awnings. But why exactly are these three styles used and how do they differ?

Retractable Awnings – This style of awning is more commonly seen in smaller restaurants and cafes. It is attached to an exterior wall of the building and can extend outwards. This provides a small covered seating area which is great for extending how many customers you can have during the months when there is nicer weather. You will find that by investing in this type of restaurant awnings, you are enabling your business to grow and welcome more customers. It also gives people the option of where they wish to enjoy their food. The main benefit of using a retractable awning is its flexibility. These tend to roll up on themselves to close, meaning they store away nice and tidily. This also means they do not always need to be used, if you decide the weather isn’t good enough for outdoor seating, you can choose to not offer that area for that day. These can also come in manual or electrical operation. Electrically operated are extremely easy to use and make it worthwhile for those who want something quick, easy and efficient.

Drop Arm Awnings – Similarly to retractable awnings, these are mainly going to be seen in smaller places, but also in places that always want to offer outside seating. They work similarly. They are installed on the exterior wall of a restaurant or cafe, but unlike retractable awnings, they simply just hang down. You then have to use a simple pole and hook to open this up. Don’t worry this is perfectly safe and won’t fall easily. But it does mean you need to have it open no matter what the weather is like.

Freestanding Awnings – Finally we have freestanding awnings. This style of restaurant awning is the style that you are going to see in larger restaurants or pubs across the United Kingdom. They are much like a gazebo how they have 4 supporting legs and a frame above for covering. The main difference is these are going to be a permanent fixture, so this is ideal when you have a larger outdoor area where you can permanently offer outdoor seating at. These can be made from a variety of different materials including metal and wood, as well as fabric, wood, or tiles for the roof. We find that this style is long-lasting and the best option for restaurants.

What Awning Should I Invest In?

When deciding what type of awning you should invest in, you need to 100% think about your restaurant itself. Whilst we believe freestanding awnings are going to be the best option bringing the most benefits, we understand that not everyone has a large outdoor area they can put a permanent fixture. All of the options we have discussed today make an excellent choice for a restaurant awning. We recommend that every restaurant or cafe has the option to offer outdoor seating to their customers. YOu never know how much your business could grow by offering this. But what we do know, is without it, you are limiting who can visit you as some people, especially dog owners, enjoy sitting outside where they can be with their pets.