Outdoor Dining: Sunshine Ready
The weather is warming, and your customers are craving fresh air. Are you ready for the busy – and profitable – outdoor dining season? According to the National Restaurant Association, nearly seven in 10 customers prefer an outdoor dining option when they visit restaurants.
Of course, there’s more to preparing your outdoor dining strategy than just setting up tables and stringing lights. You’ll need to prepare your pizzeria’s equipment, workflow and guest experience for the unique challenges of outdoor seating.
“Eating outdoors can be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy some fresh air and relaxing time outside,” says Patrick Guzzle, vice president of food safety for the National Restaurant Association. “Make sure that it’s as carefree as possible a situation for the guest – and for the restaurant.”
For pizzerias such as The Turning Peel in Portland, Oregon, outdoor seating is a huge selling point. “One of the reasons the community comes to The Turning Peel is because of The Oasis,” says owner Candy Yiu, referring to the pizzeria’s covered outdoor dining area, which is open year-round. “We spend a lot of time and effort making sure that our Oasis is beautiful, welcoming, inviting and inclusive. A lot of people actually prefer to sit outdoors – even during wintertime.”
As spring approaches, it’s time to unlock the full potential of your restaurant by offering a clean, welcoming and stress-free outdoor dining experience. We spoke to industry experts for their advice in three categories: administration, maintenance and operations.
ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS WITH OUTDOOR DINING
PERMITS AND ZONING
Make sure your permits and zoning compliance are in order. For example, business and liquor licenses specifically may need to include your outdoor area. There also might be noise ordinances or accessibility requirements you need to address. Find out whether regulations have changed, which could impact your operations. If you need construction permits to make changes, start this process ASAP.
INSURANCE
Talk with your insurance carrier about your outdoor area and make sure you are fully covered, advises Andy Rohner CSP (certified safety professional). Rohner is a senior safety management consultant at SAIF, an Oregon not-for-profit insurance company dealing in workers’ compensation. They also can help operators consult with risk managers.
“Our safety consultants are in-house, and we do communicate with our underwriters. Oftentimes, those communications can be beneficial to the policy holder,” impacting pricing tiers, Rohner says.
MARKETING
Plan ahead on your marketing. Does local media do roundups of patio dining locations? Send them details about your patio and make sure you’re included. Update your website and social media to highlight when your outdoor area opens and what a great space it is. Attract clientele by hosting music, collaborating with craft drink makers on tastings or holding community events.
OUTDOOR PATIO MAINTENANCE
Identify one-time seasonal tasks as well as ongoing maintenance to keep your patio clean, safe and attractive.
Begin by inspecting your hardscaping, landscaping, irrigation, misters, furniture, equipment, lighting, heaters, shade and other structural elements. Make a checklist of everything that needs attention, and schedule the tasks and vendors needed.
Consider pest control: Have you had past problems with ants, bees, mosquitos, flies, rodents or birds roosting overhead? “The best thing to do is work with a licensed pest control operator (PCO),” Guzzle recommends. “They should know what pests are around in the facility, what time of year they’re around. Those PCOs have specialized knowledge on what treatment options are available in a restaurant setting.”
Now, revise your maintenance checklists for the outdoor season.
“We blow the patio really early in the morning,” Yiu says, adding that this allows time for the dust to settle before guests arrive. “Every morning, we wipe down all the tables and chairs.” Summer brings extra work at The Oasis, where squirrels eat the juicy flesh of ripe grapes, dropping skins on tables below.
Yiu added misters to the space last summer and now uses them in conjunction with two fans that cross-ventilate the area. They are programmed to mist for one minute every five minutes when it’s hot. She also has advice on the topic of string lights: While tiny holiday lights are beautiful, Yiu says they’re very high-maintenance. Instead, she chooses strings of round bulbs, adding that it’s much easier to change LED bulbs as needed.
OPERATIONS RESPONSIBILITIES WITH OUTDOOR DINING
Lastly, make sure your operations and staff training promote food safety, staff safety and guest safety.
FOOD SAFETY
“One of the bigger concerns that we often don’t think about with food safety is just exposure to the environment,” Guzzle observes. He lives in Boise, where hot and dry summers mean that “dust and debris can end up in the patio – and possibly in someone’s food.” When dust is an issue, he points out that operators shouldn’t pre-set tables because flatware and glasses will get visibly dusty.
Guzzle also warns that branches over seating areas are an invitation to birds, which can cause a big mess with droppings – a health hazard as well as an aesthetic problem. Likewise, overgrown landscaping can harbor rodents, which also present a food-safety challenge.
STAFF AND GUEST SAFETY
“Slips, trips, falls and lifting are the most impactful types of injuries for employees,” says Rohner at SAIF (see “No Slips, Just Slices”). To help improve traffic flow and reduce human collisions, he recommends that employees and guests have separate access points to patio areas. For both guest and service traffic, you can discourage dust and flying insects with self-closing door hardware, two-way swing doors or an air curtain over the door.
Even if the patio is covered, wet shoes track water in. “Floor mats can limit the amount of water tracked in or provide an anti-slip surface,” he says. He notes, however, that “old and damaged mats can actually become just as much of a hazard.“ Rohner urges operators to require anti-slip shoes and to check and enforce this requirement with staff.
“We want to make sure that our employees can provide service as ergonomically and as conveniently as possible,” Yiu agrees. Her covered, year-round Oasis has its own bus and service area – and when she opens her uncovered seating area for the season, it also has its own bus and service station.
STAFF TRAINING
Make sure your staff knows how to keep people and food safe in the outdoor environment. For example, have a plan in place for bad weather. Train employees about how to address pests and bird droppings. Staff should alert guests about any steps or uneven surfaces when they escort them to outdoor seats.
For resources about workplace safety in restaurant environments, consult your insurance carrier or underwriter, along with the free materials available on the SAIF website.
Let staff know their input is valued as you collaborate with them on creating a pleasant, inviting, safe and satisfying outdoor dining experience.
ANNELISE KELLY is a Portland, Oregon-based freelance writer.
