(Photo by Zoran Nikolov at Scopio)
It’s time to get more specific about implications from our jaunt to Halifax. Eating out is so much a part of what we want to do when we go out and about, I’ll start there.
For those in the food service sector, just in case it didn’t fully sink in from my earlier posts, for some people dining out really and truly means dining out now, as in outdoors.
If you only have tables indoors and can’t afford high grade air filtration for six complete air changes per hour like in hospitals, you have two sets of customers:
Those who are willing to take their chances unmasked in an indoor public space
Those who are willing to get takeaway and eat your food at home
With space to offer outdoor tables and seating, you can add another set who want to eat out, but not indoors or too close to others. There are more such people than you may think. How can you attract them and what could get them to become regular customers?
There are a range of possibilities. The pods I mentioned last week are at the expensive end. (You can see them in the photo of the Piece Hall with one of my posts about venturing out.) Most dining establishments can’t afford those. Even the posh restaurant we saw only has a few pods.
The next level below that? Tables under awnings with infrared heaters above or heaters alongside.
Then tables under awnings without heaters.
Then tables at the mercy of the weather.
Outdoor seating appeals to people who want to eat out rather than grab some takeaway, but aren’t willing to take off their face masks in a public indoor space. For the clinically vulnerable in particular, but also the simply careful, eating inside a restaurant isn’t feasible. They (maybe I should say we, because I’m in this category) are so happy to see an outdoor option, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Remember, my wife and I found the poshest restaurant wasn’t our favorite. The one with the lap blankets was. We were comfortable enough and feeling safe allowed us to fully enjoy meals there, despite rain and cold and a biting breeze… so we returned, again and again. We noticed their outdoor tables were always in demand. The ones at the posh restaurant, under an awning with heaters but with air circulation blocked, were more often empty.
Set up a good outdoor dining experience, and it will provide a steady flow of customers and profit.
You don’t have to go whole hog about it.
You may want to. I used to be one of the owners of a restaurant. We wanted our diners to always feel their experience with us was perfect. But just off the top of my head I can think of a lot of people in my circle of acquaintance whose definition of a perfect dining experience has changed in the past couple of years. Feeling safe comes first now.
So when you consider how much you can afford for outdoor dining space, focus on practical basics. Air flow and spacing, of course. Chairs that aren’t too punishing to sit on, but don’t cost a fortune and can be easily wiped dry. Awnings or umbrellas next. If you have to choose between heaters or lap blankets, personally I’m inclined toward blankets. Since coming home from Halifax, a neighbor’s reaction to hearing about them was That’s PERFECT! Lap blankets are cheap, don’t need electricity or fuel, and don’t accidentally singe anyone.
Outdoors is the “in” thing. And setting it up need not cost a fortune.