6 Tips to Enhance Your Businesses Outdoor Seating Area

Restaurants, cafe’s and businesses alike make the most of Australia’s beautiful weather year-round by creating outdoor seating areas for customers. Whether it’s a large garden, a converted driveway or a tiny sliver of sidewalk – outdoor seating areas hold lots of potential for an enhanced customer experience.

In this article, we uncover six tips to help you enhance the outdoor seating area of your business so your customers can enjoy it year-round.

Consider the layout

For many hospitality venues, the layout of the outdoor seating area needs to strike a balance between comfort for customers, enough seating and room for staff to move comfortably. When you plan the layout of your outdoor seating area, consider where your customers will feel most comfortable.

Whether there are spots that you install a folding arm awning to provide better shade and shelter. The type of business will also help determine the layout. For example, diners at a high-end restaurant may want more privacy, while brunch-goers at a cafe may want a more wholesome atmosphere.

Keep style and aesthetic consistent

Most restaurants and venues have personalities and style that’s reflected in the ambience and aesthetic. These details are essential in creating satisfied and happy customers. Your business’s outdoor area should reflect this.

Strive to use similar furniture, décor and lighting that will complement the atmosphere inside. Products such as roof to fence blinds will help create a natural flow between the inside and outside areas and protect against different types of weather like wind and rain.

Leverage the view

If you are fortunate enough to have an outdoor seating area with a good view, like a mountain, river, horizon or skyline, then you should design your outdoor area around this vantage point. You can emphasize this by framing it with plants and decor.

You can also position outdoor searing towards the view or offering a select one or two tables that get the best view in the house to create a memorable experience.

Make it unique

A well-designed outdoor seating can increase the floor space of a business, enabling you to grow and increase foot traffic. For example, a restaurant with an outdoor area that typically would have no coverage from the sun, making it unusable during the Summer.

To open it up all year, consider installing the right outdoor blinds and serve a smaller menu like drinks and snacks. By working with the space you have, you can offer new experiences for your customers that you never thought possible.

Similarly, if you want to make the space more pet-friendly, consider doggy bowls, shade and rings to attach doggy leads.

Perfect lighting

Good lighting plays a significant role in setting the mood of an outdoor area. Most businesses would want to avoid harsh lights and opt for soft, dimmed lights such as recessed, landscape, and elegant pendant lights.

Stair riser lights create a wonderful atmosphere but also prevent potential falls. If your venue hosts different events and occasions, consider installing a dimmer that will allow you to control the brightness of the lights.

Provide shelter

When designing your outdoor seating area, make sure that you consider protection from the elements. Weather can change quickly and what you don’t want is a patio packed full of customers, and rain suddenly hits.

Products like outdoor blinds, awnings and retractable roof systems provide shelter from harsh sunshine, rain and strong winds. You can have them installed to provide permanent protection or install them to have the option to open and close according to the weather conditions.

Wrap Up

These six tips will help you enhance your outdoor seating area so your customers can use it year-round. To protect your customers from Australian weather, All About Shade offers a range of versatile blinds available in various materials to create the perfect atmosphere.

To arrange a free quote, fill out the “Free Measure & Quote” form, and one of our friendly team members will get in touch.

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All About ShadeExcellentAll About Shade4.9 Based on 129 reviews fromSee all reviews review us onRod Bonser ★★★★★ Great job by Travis and Glennian Stokes ★★★★★ Great product very pleased with the fantastic team that fitted our blinds in WarnbroThanks for a great experience!!!Tracy McKeith ★★★★★ Tom and Liam came to install my shades and they did an incredible job, Tom's workmanship is so professional. There was no fuss and no mess. No question was too much and he was very knowledgeable. All About Shades is a top company, look no further when you are deciding to put this feature on your house. The whole process from quote to install was seamless. Definitely recommend All About Shade.Rob Atkinson ★★★★★ Very happy with the shades installed. Sam was professional, arrived on time, no fuss. Value for money. Would recommend to everyoneKim and Ian StokesSimon Duca ★★★★★ Extremely happy with the prompt and efficient installation by Andrew who did a wonderful job. Highly recommend and a great product for an outdoor blind.Raewyn Murphy ★★★★★ Just had my outdoor screen blinds installed in Kalgoorlie and could not be happier. Sam and his team did an amazing job, the service and workmanship were outstanding, thank you so much 10/10Megan O'Connor ★★★★★ Quick to quote, installation by Sam was fast, clean, polite, explained everything we needed to knowLauren Constantine ★★★★★ Sam did a lovely job installing, it looks great and makes a big difference in terms of the heat that comes in our back patio! ThanksChris Gibbons ★★★★★ Great product. Great install. Very happy with our roof to fence blinds and we also had one installed on our balcony pergola instead of the standard alsonite and it's brilliant.Josh Angel ★★★★★ Travis quoted and fitted our blinds nearly two years ago, the first company to quote couldn’t really figure it out as we have 7m apex roof and said we’d need double the amount of motor’s for our set up. Travis had one look and sussed it in one saving the extra expense and resulted in a more aesthetic appearance.As time has passed our blinds are holding up remarkably well although recently he has had to re-visit but this is due to operator error 😌.Would highly recommend him and his team ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Deb Shaw ★★★★★ I live in Geraldton WA, my experience has been wow!You contacted quickly on my enquiry, you sent a representative to do quote.You sent a team person to check measures were correct for ordering.Then before I knew it they were up asap for xmas.I'm in love thankyou guys top job also recommending you to all who asked.Cheers look at this now!Samantha Duffy ★★★★★ From Quote to instal the procedure was seemless, effortless (for me) and they were on time (if not slightly earlier instal) Were able to get blinds done before christmas. The install guys were incredible. It was a very hot day and did not stop til they got it done which took all day. Friendly, cleaned up after them and the traks themselves look incredible. It really has added another room to our house.Ben Vause ★★★★★ Just had the shade sails installed down the side of our house. What normally gets super hot in summer and let's a heap of the harsh sunlight in. Has now stopped. Can already feel the difference.The fellas that installed it were super quick.Very happy with the product and would 100% recommendspinks31 ★★★★★ From initial quote to job completion, punctual, friendly, efficient - a pleasure to deal with and love the productSusan Gambale ★★★★★ Great Company to deal with and very happy with our new outdoor blinds. It has created a space we can now use all year round, provides privacy, and a way for our cats to be outside aswell.Christophe ★★★★★ Awesome service and workmanship, product looks great! Thank you!Kathy Barker ★★★★★ We recently had 3 motorised shades installed to our large alfresco and we couldn’t be happier. From quote through to install the service has been great, and the quality of the blinds exceeds my expectations. It has turned our alfresco into another usable room in the house, even in winter. I highly recommend!Lyle Deadman ★★★★★ Great product, even better service, from initial quote through to install. Thanks team, awesome job.Kiki Cristol ★★★★★ We got three quotes to have four blinds installed on our new outdoor pergola. All About Shade was the best. From the outset the customer service was friendly, efficient and fast. The quality of the manufacture and installation is second to none. We are so pleased with the result. It has really enhanced our remodelled outdoor area. We highly recommend All About Shade. You won’t be disappointed.Leanne O'Neill ★★★★★ Love, love our Roof to Fence blinds, they have kept the harsh summer sun off the west side of our house beautifully, lowering the inside temperature by several degrees. From the initial measure and quote through to installation we could not fault this company. Also love the after customer care of Facebook posts when high winds are predicted to remind us to retract our blinds. Highly recommend.Anthony Moylan ★★★★★ Very professional service and excellent product.Sarah Baty ★★★★★ Excellent service from prebooking, measuring and completion of installation. Very friendly service and helpful. No mess was left on arrival home and they look awesome.Thank youYolandaMandurah WAJeff Drust ★★★★★ We had a great experience with All About Shade, they installed our Alfresco blind in a timely manner. From quote to measure and install the process was a breeze and competitive. Will definitely be recommending these guys to anyone needing blinds, great range of colours and choices for all occasionsRachel Ludin ★★★★★ I contacted the company to install a shade outside our kitchen window. The service has been professional, fast, and high quality. I also must say the communication was fantastic. We are so happy with our shade, and would definitely recommend these guys to anyone. I didn’t feel like I was being pushed into anything or hurried either which was nice!Linda Preston ★★★★★ We are very pleased with our aluminium shutters. They look amazing and perform as expected. We were given a realistic time frame from quote to measure and installation. A friendly, efficient service. Travis and his team member made light work of the installation, making an early start and working solidly from start to finish. Happy customers.Dennis Gilleland ★★★★★ Just had a set of shutters fitted to our renovated bathroom that has an external window. They are exactly what we needed to finish the reno. A huge vote of thanks to Travis and Glenn for their wonderful service and interaction with us. Simply a great team.james pattison ★★★★☆ Really worth a 5* for price, and quality.Installation was professional.Just need to get the planning and commnication better in my case.Now the blinds are in, very happy.Would recommend.Carol Gibson ★★★★★ Highly recommend All About Shade. Fast, efficient, friendly and we are so happy with the outcome of our shades for our new outdoor area. Have used them twice and will be using them again.Putragraphy ★★★★★ If only I could give 100 stars, I would. Exceptional service, prompt, superb communication from start to finish and well priced. I can see myself coming back to do more business and will keep on referring them to others ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Jono H ★★★★★ I've utilised the services of All About Shade (South) a couple of times now to completely shade and protect my back patio/verandah from the elements and have been very happy with the level of service they've provided.From the moment of first contact on the telephone, the onsite measure and quote and finishing up with the installers not only arriving on time to take a final measure, but also arriving on time for the installation of the blinds, has been fantastic.If you're looking for that special old styled level of service from start to finish for ZipTrack shades/blinds at a price that provides you with 'bang for buck', I wholeheartedly recommend you use All About Shade (South) - and tell them I sent you!Peter McCarter ★★★★★ We had our alfresco blind with a doggie door and triangle insert installed, I cannot be happier. From start to finish was a pleasant experience. The triangle insert workmanship is above and beyond our expectations. Looks awesome!!Abbydo AR ★★★★★ Recently we had our ziptrak blinds installed and we love it. Thank you to Team from start to finish and we highly recommend them.Rhona McCue ★★★★★ Extremely happy with my new blinds.Everything went so smoothly from the time of measurement by Ray Kearney until the installation by two terrific guys whose names escape me. Best price aroundSandra Ursino ★★★★★ All About Shade installed my new patio in record time especially considering the difficulty in getting material. From the free quote meeting to the follow-up after installation, everything ran smoothly. I highly recommend All About Shade.Suellen Flint ★★★★★ Our experience with the team from All About Shades and Awnings was fantastic, Travis and his team had a great knowledge of the products and the finished product is just what we wanted . Highly recommended….Michael John Jones ★★★★★ Great shades, erected professionally and promptly.Would recommend "all About Shades" to everybodyadam dougan ★★★★★ Best shade company in Perth! Price good product good service awesome!! 👍👍Brian Knights ★★★★★ Prompt and efficient service from the initial measure and quote to the install, highly recommend All About Shade.Peter G Ryall ★★★★☆ We recently had two Shades installed from All About Shade. The people were very easy to deal with and the information supplied was easy to understand. They were better value for money than some of the other companies we obtained quotes from. They were installed in a reasonable time frame, considering some companies are taking up to 6 months to install their products. I would also like to point out that they turned up on time and when they said they would. All in all was a good experience dealing with them.Shane Kempton ★★★★★ Great quality product. Service was prompt and friendly. Great local business.Noel Buchanan ★★★★★ Very happy with All About Shade,The completed job is first class,exactly what I wanted,I have no hesitation in recommending All About Shade.william young ★★★★★ The Shades are the best of the two companies we have had them made.However they tend tone a bit untidy with screws and pop rivets ends left on the ground. Other than that a great job indeedWarren Timpson ★★★★★ All about shade were prompt, helpful and professional all the way through my dealings with them. The product is excellent and I have no hesitation in recommending them to others :)Ricky Calder ★★★★★ Great service from start to finishDenise Baljeu ★★★★★ Extremely happy with the process from start to finish. Great company, staff are lovely and very helpful. Had the patio enclosed, now have an extra room.... in love my new blindsResponse from the ownerHi Denise,Great to hear you love the new room! Thank you for taking the time to give us a review, we really appreciate it.If there is ever anything more we can do to help please just reach out. js_loader

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Great job by Travis and Glenn
Rod Bonser
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Great product very pleased with the fantastic team that fitted our blinds in WarnbroThanks for a great experience!!!
ian Stokes
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Tom and Liam came to install my shades and they did an incredible job, Tom's workmanship is so professional. There was no fuss and no mess. No question was too much and he was very knowledgeable. All About Shades is a top company, look no further when you are deciding to put this feature on your house. The whole process from quote to install was seamless. Definitely recommend All About Shade.
Tracy McKeith
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Very happy with the shades installed. Sam was professional, arrived on time, no fuss. Value for money. Would recommend to everyoneKim and Ian Stokes
Rob Atkinson
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Extremely happy with the prompt and efficient installation by Andrew who did a wonderful job. Highly recommend and a great product for an outdoor blind.
Simon Duca
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Just had my outdoor screen blinds installed in Kalgoorlie and could not be happier. Sam and his team did an amazing job, the service and workmanship were outstanding, thank you so much 10/10
Raewyn Murphy
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Quick to quote, installation by Sam was fast, clean, polite, explained everything we needed to know
Megan O'Connor
Megan O'Connor
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Sam did a lovely job installing, it looks great and makes a big difference in terms of the heat that comes in our back patio! Thanks
Great product. Great install. Very happy with our roof to fence blinds and we also had one installed on our balcony pergola instead of the standard alsonite and it's brilliant.
Chris Gibbons
Chris Gibbons
1709685248
Travis quoted and fitted our blinds nearly two years ago, the first company to quote couldn’t really figure it out as we have 7m apex roof and said we’d need double the amount of motor’s for our set up. Travis had one look and sussed it in one saving the extra expense and resulted in a more aesthetic appearance.As time has passed our blinds are holding up remarkably well although recently he has had to re-visit but this is due to operator error 😌.Would highly recommend him and his team ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Josh Angel
Josh Angel
1707296865
I live in Geraldton WA, my experience has been wow!You contacted quickly on my enquiry, you sent a representative to do quote.You sent a team person to check measures were correct for ordering.Then before I knew it they were up asap for xmas.I'm in love thankyou guys top job also recommending you to all who asked.Cheers look at this now!
Deb Shaw
Deb Shaw
1702457564
From Quote to instal the procedure was seemless, effortless (for me) and they were on time (if not slightly earlier instal) Were able to get blinds done before christmas. The install guys were incredible. It was a very hot day and did not stop til they got it done which took all day. Friendly, cleaned up after them and the traks themselves look incredible. It really has added another room to our house.
Samantha Duffy
Samantha Duffy
1702303109
Just had the shade sails installed down the side of our house. What normally gets super hot in summer and let's a heap of the harsh sunlight in. Has now stopped. Can already feel the difference.The fellas that installed it were super quick.Very happy with the product and would 100% recommend
Ben Vause
Ben Vause
1700200986
From initial quote to job completion, punctual, friendly, efficient - a pleasure to deal with and love the product
spinks31
spinks31
1692792724
Great Company to deal with and very happy with our new outdoor blinds. It has created a space we can now use all year round, provides privacy, and a way for our cats to be outside aswell.
Susan Gambale
Susan Gambale
1688608080
Awesome service and workmanship, product looks great! Thank you!
Christophe
Christophe
1688433493
We recently had 3 motorised shades installed to our large alfresco and we couldn’t be happier. From quote through to install the service has been great, and the quality of the blinds exceeds my expectations. It has turned our alfresco into another usable room in the house, even in winter. I highly recommend!
Kathy Barker
Kathy Barker
1688129068
Great product, even better service, from initial quote through to install. Thanks team, awesome job.
Lyle Deadman
Lyle Deadman
1682643225
We got three quotes to have four blinds installed on our new outdoor pergola. All About Shade was the best. From the outset the customer service was friendly, efficient and fast. The quality of the manufacture and installation is second to none. We are so pleased with the result. It has really enhanced our remodelled outdoor area. We highly recommend All About Shade. You won’t be disappointed.
Kiki Cristol
Kiki Cristol
1681352671
Love, love our Roof to Fence blinds, they have kept the harsh summer sun off the west side of our house beautifully, lowering the inside temperature by several degrees. From the initial measure and quote through to installation we could not fault this company. Also love the after customer care of Facebook posts when high winds are predicted to remind us to retract our blinds. Highly recommend.
Leanne O'Neill
Leanne O'Neill
1679658090
Very professional service and excellent product.
Anthony Moylan
Anthony Moylan
1679370369
Excellent service from prebooking, measuring and completion of installation. Very friendly service and helpful. No mess was left on arrival home and they look awesome.Thank youYolandaMandurah WA
Sarah Baty
Sarah Baty
1679324849
We had a great experience with All About Shade, they installed our Alfresco blind in a timely manner. From quote to measure and install the process was a breeze and competitive. Will definitely be recommending these guys to anyone needing blinds, great range of colours and choices for all occasions
Jeff Drust
Jeff Drust
1675824727
I contacted the company to install a shade outside our kitchen window. The service has been professional, fast, and high quality. I also must say the communication was fantastic. We are so happy with our shade, and would definitely recommend these guys to anyone. I didn’t feel like I was being pushed into anything or hurried either which was nice!
Rachel Ludin
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We are very pleased with our aluminium shutters. They look amazing and perform as expected. We were given a realistic time frame from quote to measure and installation. A friendly, efficient service. Travis and his team member made light work of the installation, making an early start and working solidly from start to finish. Happy customers.
Linda Preston
Linda Preston
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Just had a set of shutters fitted to our renovated bathroom that has an external window. They are exactly what we needed to finish the reno. A huge vote of thanks to Travis and Glenn for their wonderful service and interaction with us. Simply a great team.
Really worth a 5* for price, and quality.Installation was professional.Just need to get the planning and commnication better in my case.Now the blinds are in, very happy.Would recommend.
james pattison
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1669286169
Highly recommend All About Shade. Fast, efficient, friendly and we are so happy with the outcome of our shades for our new outdoor area. Have used them twice and will be using them again.
Carol Gibson
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If only I could give 100 stars, I would. Exceptional service, prompt, superb communication from start to finish and well priced. I can see myself coming back to do more business and will keep on referring them to others ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Putragraphy
Putragraphy
1662641961
I've utilised the services of All About Shade (South) a couple of times now to completely shade and protect my back patio/verandah from the elements and have been very happy with the level of service they've provided.From the moment of first contact on the telephone, the onsite measure and quote and finishing up with the installers not only arriving on time to take a final measure, but also arriving on time for the installation of the blinds, has been fantastic.If you're looking for that special old styled level of service from start to finish for ZipTrack shades/blinds at a price that provides you with 'bang for buck', I wholeheartedly recommend you use All About Shade (South) - and tell them I sent you!
Jono H
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We had our alfresco blind with a doggie door and triangle insert installed, I cannot be happier. From start to finish was a pleasant experience. The triangle insert workmanship is above and beyond our expectations. Looks awesome!!
Peter McCarter
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Recently we had our ziptrak blinds installed and we love it. Thank you to Team from start to finish and we highly recommend them.
Abbydo AR
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Extremely happy with my new blinds.Everything went so smoothly from the time of measurement by Ray Kearney until the installation by two terrific guys whose names escape me. Best price around
Rhona McCue
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All About Shade installed my new patio in record time especially considering the difficulty in getting material. From the free quote meeting to the follow-up after installation, everything ran smoothly. I highly recommend All About Shade.
Sandra Ursino
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Our experience with the team from All About Shades and Awnings was fantastic, Travis and his team had a great knowledge of the products and the finished product is just what we wanted . Highly recommended….
Suellen Flint
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Great shades, erected professionally and promptly.Would recommend "all About Shades" to everybody
Best shade company in Perth! Price good product good service awesome!! 👍👍
adam dougan
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Prompt and efficient service from the initial measure and quote to the install, highly recommend All About Shade.
Brian Knights
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We recently had two Shades installed from All About Shade. The people were very easy to deal with and the information supplied was easy to understand. They were better value for money than some of the other companies we obtained quotes from. They were installed in a reasonable time frame, considering some companies are taking up to 6 months to install their products. I would also like to point out that they turned up on time and when they said they would. All in all was a good experience dealing with them.
Peter G Ryall
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Great quality product. Service was prompt and friendly. Great local business.
Shane Kempton
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Very happy with All About Shade,The completed job is first class,exactly what I wanted,I have no hesitation in recommending All About Shade.
Noel Buchanan
Noel Buchanan
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The Shades are the best of the two companies we have had them made.However they tend tone a bit untidy with screws and pop rivets ends left on the ground. Other than that a great job indeed
william young
william young
1639191668
All about shade were prompt, helpful and professional all the way through my dealings with them. The product is excellent and I have no hesitation in recommending them to others :)
Warren Timpson
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Great service from start to finish
Ricky Calder
Ricky Calder
1639029335
Extremely happy with the process from start to finish. Great company, staff are lovely and very helpful. Had the patio enclosed, now have an extra room.... in love my new blinds
Denise Baljeu
Denise Baljeu
1638338628
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