{"id":5279,"date":"2020-06-23T14:41:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T19:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-gordon-food-service.pantheonsite.io\/consider-landscape-outdoor-dining\/"},"modified":"2023-02-01T14:18:28","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T20:18:28","slug":"consider-landscape-outdoor-dining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/consider-landscape-outdoor-dining\/","title":{"rendered":"Consider the Landscape of Outdoor Dining"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Outdoor dining is emerging as a solution for restaurants encountering indoor occupancy limits or simply looking to grow their service capabilities. The math is simple\u2014serve more guests and earn more income.<\/p>\n<p>Unless your community is closing off streets and creating outdoor dining districts, your options are limited. If your city has relaxed its rules to allow dining areas outside a restaurant\u2019s four walls, there are some ideas you should consider to determine if this is the right path for you.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How to launch outdoor dining<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Think before you leap.<\/strong> Check with local government officials or your restaurant association to learn whether ordinances allow you to seat\/serve guests outdoors.\n<ul>\n<li>Some communities are allowing outdoor dining for a limited time<\/li>\n<li>Ask if alcohol service is allowed outside, if that\u2019s part of your menu<\/li>\n<li>Know what social distancing is required for outdoor seating<\/li>\n<li>Check necessary spacing between tables and curbs<\/li>\n<li>Determine what accommodations are needed for people with disabilities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>What will outdoor dining look like?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>No two operations are the same, so consider outdoor dining that works for your kitchen, staffing and physical limitations.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Sidewalks.<\/strong> Cafe-style tables right outside your door is a quick solution\n<ul>\n<li>Filled tables out front invite passers-by to stop for a bite<\/li>\n<li>Consider shade\u2014your alcohol distributor may be able to provide logo umbrellas<\/li>\n<li>Your space may be limited, but even a few seats can bring added income<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Grassy areas.<\/strong> The lawn near an existing patio\/deck could offer more seating\n<ul>\n<li>Arrange seating so people can be socially distanced<\/li>\n<li>Place lawn furniture and a fire pit and serve only drinks and snacks<\/li>\n<li>Add a couple of picnic tables for casual family eating<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Parking lots.<\/strong> You may not need all of your parking spaces for guests\u2019 cars\n<ul>\n<li>Block off an area with planters or cedar fencing&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Consider a tent to provide shade and fans to create a breeze<\/li>\n<li>Use carts for staging to create the sense of a separate dining room<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Making outdoor dining work<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>As with your main dining room, you must execute properly to make it work. Pay attention to the basics and beyond.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Streamline the menu.<\/strong> Provide variety and flavor and ease the back-of-house burden\n<ul>\n<li>Include the foods your business is known for, or try out some new things like barbecue to enhance the outdoor feel&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Menu cold foods, popular on warm days\u2014such as salads, grain bowls, yogurt bowls, smoothies and refreshing drinks&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Offer quick-to-the-table meals and sides so guests focus on food first, not atmosphere<\/li>\n<li>Discourage customization, if possible, to save staff stress and prevent errors&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fashion the look and feel.<\/strong> A patio product checklist prevents details from being overlooked.\n<ul>\n<li>Get tables and chairs. It all starts with having a place to sit and eat\n<ul>\n<li>Move unused tables and chairs to the outdoor dining area<\/li>\n<li>Contact local caterers about renting tables and chairs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Try plastic \u201cglasses.\u201d Many areas prohibit using real glass outdoors\n<ul>\n<li>Triton, Libby and Steelite have plastic options that mimic glass<\/li>\n<li>Use vessels with your logo to sell as a take-home item<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Add pizzazz with melamine. These plates are stylish like china, but break-resistant\n<ul>\n<li>Steelite and Carlisle plates mimic stoneware<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Call on baskets and trays. An outdoor setting deserves an outdoor feel\n<ul>\n<li>Think metal baking trays with liners or American Metalcraft poolside products<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Protect with placemats. They dress up the table and can be disposable or washable\n<ul>\n<li>Ritz woven PVC\/polyester yarn placemats can be sanitized and reused<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Try table coverings. Kraft paper (disposable), vinyl (sanitizable) and cloth (washable)<\/li>\n<li>Consider ramekins. Single-use condiment cups offer a sense of safety<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Acquire outdoor dining enhancers. <\/strong>A variety of supplies can upgrade the experience.\n<ul>\n<li>Patio heaters. Extend the season or warm up a cool evening to provide comfort<\/li>\n<li>Lighting. Strings of outdoor lighting can change the atmosphere<\/li>\n<li>Coolers and ice boxes. Speed up service by keeping food and beverages outside<\/li>\n<li>Bamboo utensils. Improve upon prepackaged plastic silverware and napkins&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t overlook the extras.<\/strong> More goes into outdoor dining than meets the eye.\n<ul>\n<li>Communication. Point guests where to go when they walk up to check in<\/li>\n<li>Music and video. Add music or televisions for customer entertainment<\/li>\n<li>Trash containers. You\u2019ll need a place to discard disposables<\/li>\n<li>Pest control. Manage and control bugs and rodents for good customer experience\n<ul>\n<li>Ask your pest-control service provider for advice<\/li>\n<li>Keep on hand fly bait, insect killer and odor-control products<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Maintenance. You may need hoses or power washers for patio and deck floors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Find ways to be creative<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Outdoor dining may seem like a temporary solution, but the fun ways to engage guests could become long-lasting, even permanent. Here are some ideas that could work.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Make it an event. <\/strong>Dining out can include more than just the food.\n<ul>\n<li>Have cornhole, bocce or carnival-type games for people who are waiting<\/li>\n<li>Show movies in the parking lot on slower weeknights<\/li>\n<li>Trivia nights or live music may draw customers in<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Create a lounge.<\/strong> If alcohol laws allow, serve an outdoor beverage menu\n<ul>\n<li>Popular patio-style drinks include sangria, margaritas and sparkling seltzers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Build a waiting area.<\/strong> A cozy overflow spot can be part of the experience.\n<ul>\n<li>Have arrivals sign in and sell drinks and snacks while they await a table<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Go over the top.<\/strong> Give people something to talk about or share on social media\n<ul>\n<li>Erect a large tent. Use tiki torches or hanging lights to create a \u201cDinner in the Grove\u201d or beer garden feel<\/li>\n<li>Build a beach. A truckload of sand can transform a drab parking lot surface<\/li>\n<li>Yurts, yurts, yurts. In cooler climates, plastic domed yurts offer warmth and privacy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Keep staffing needs in mind<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Outdoor dining can backfire if you overstretch your capabilities<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have the right number of trained staff and supplies to meet business needs<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t add tables your staff can\u2019t keep up with\n<ul>\n<li>Know how far you can stretch servers from the nearest service station<\/li>\n<li>Tables that are spread out means a bigger area for servers to cover<\/li>\n<li>Outdoor seating is further from the kitchen, so consider how that affects staffing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Speed up the ordering process with handheld POS systems or online ordering<\/li>\n<li>Consider kitchen execution\u201450 outdoor guests affects the workload and menu<\/li>\n<li>Consider reservations to manage guest load (and customer seating expectations)<\/li>\n<li>Watch the weather so your staff doesn\u2019t seat people when storms are approaching<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Al fresco foodservice offers possibilities for expanding guest counts.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":5280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.9 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Consider the Landscape of Outdoor Dining<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/consider-landscape-outdoor-dining\/\" \/>\n<meta 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