Restaurant terrace: how to design it?

Restaurant professionals know this: customers don't just come to eat, but also for the decor, comfort, and ambiance. Going to a restaurant terrace for lunch or dinner is an experience that should encompass not only taste, but also the visual appeal, the soundscape, the warmth of the place, and its atmosphere.

In a hotel-restaurant, you have to convince customers to get out of bed and go out to the terrace, instead of being served in their room or nibbling on the contents of the mini-bar.

How should the furniture be arranged on the terrace? What decor and design will enhance the atmosphere for customers? Here are some tips for successfully designing your restaurant terrace, reviewing all the essential elements. 

Choosing and arranging your furniture, a complex process

Selecting the furniture for the terrace is a crucial step, involving design, customer comfort, and budget management. Chairs, tables, and benches must reflect the restaurant's style, be practical for setting tables, and withstand the elements that an outdoor space is subjected to.

The exterior style should match the restaurant's interior, but the materials must be suitable for outdoor use. These could include treated wood, metal, or even woven resin. A woven resin armchair evokes the furniture found in a garden lounge and therefore benefits from a positive psychological bias in most people.

Arranging the terrace space is no easy task. It must be optimized to accommodate as many customers as possible without sacrificing comfort or complicating service. Traffic flow must remain smooth and pleasant for both customers and staff: the server shouldn't risk tripping over a chair while bringing a seafood platter or a coffee.

To make a terrace a relaxing and convivial space, it must creatively blend design and practicality. One can imagine creating different areas: a lounge area, a dining area close to the kitchen, and an outdoor bar. Partitioning the space also allows certain areas to be reserved by groups for events.

When it comes to decoration, consider how to optimize lighting: solar lamps, string lights, or lanterns create an atmospheric ambiance. Other decorative elements such as plants, artwork, or fountains contribute to making terraces memorable.

The crucial role of parasols on a restaurant terrace

Among the essential accessories for furnishing garden terraces, a parasol is a must for protecting eyes and heads from the sun. It's best to choose just one type of parasol—straight, cantilever, or tilting—and equip the entire restaurant with the same model.

Professionals are turning to the most durable products to ensure their spaces last as long as possible. Every piece of furniture, every chair, every table, and of course every parasol on the terrace must be able to withstand the elements, the clumsiness, and the accidents that customers might cause while dining. An aluminum pole with an anti-rust treatment is designed to withstand heavy use.

Parasol canopies must be waterproof and UV resistant , while the placement of each parasol will be chosen strategically to maximize shade over the tables.

The choice of colors must harmonize with the rest of the restaurant, particularly with the style of the tables and chairs on the terrace and in the interior dining room. Regarding lighting, a decision must be made for evening use: will the parasols be closed, or will they remain open to maintain a cozy atmosphere and provide shelter from the wind? In the latter case, interior lighting must be integrated. Furthermore, a motorized retraction system allows for the quick opening and closing of all the parasols each day.

Several restaurants proudly boast about using Belveo parasols . The "La Friche Gourmande" bar-restaurant in Toulouse is one of them, as is "La Régalade" in Seyne-sur-Mer, which has opted for a range of cantilever parasols for its terrace. The patented wind-resistant system allows them to guarantee their customers a peaceful meal sheltered from the sun, whatever the weather.

In Paris, the café-restaurant "Café des vedettes" is pleased to have adopted Belveo's straight parasols for its terrace, equipped with acrylic canvases resistant to wear, stains and discoloration. 

Customer comfort and well-being at all costs

Leaving the office, you might want to go straight to bed, take a relaxing bath… why bother going all the way to a restaurant? To convince a family to come to a restaurant terrace with their child to eat, you need to know how to play the comfort card and offer a unique experience.

The seating on chairs and armchairs should be comfortable, with well-maintained and regularly renewed fabrics; each table should be clean and in good condition; and the air should be fresh but not cold. Natural air conditioning is preferable, through the use of parasols and awnings, but the addition of misting systems may prove necessary during the height of summer.

Ambient music played on the terrace adds a sonic dimension to the experience, engaging all the senses of the guests.

The durability of the equipment is always linked to its proper maintenance.

Choosing durable and recyclable materials for your furniture, as well as ecological products to maintain it, is part of a virtuous and effective approach.

The cleaning, tidying and checking of furniture and equipment must be rigorously organized so that each of these items is available at the appropriate time.

According to most advice, the layout of a terrace using its furniture and decoration attracts and retains customers just like the quality of the menu and service, which professionals take into account to ensure the profitability of their restaurant.