Outdoor dining is hopping — and so are the regulations. Operators are turning patios into profit centers while cities crack down on compliance. 📋
Outdoor dining boom: consumers crave experiences
This season’s diners are looking for more than delicious food — they want a vibe, an experience. And outdoor dining delivers. With the return of patio season, customers are choosing fresh air and open spaces over indoor seating.
🔥 Patio power.54% of diners are more likely to choose a restaurant with outdoor seating, and 70% will wait longer for an outdoor table.
🎩 Fancy al fresco trends. Adios plastic chairs and string lights. Operators are turning patios into year-round revenue drivers with fire pits, climate-controlled structures, and retractable roofs or glass walls. These upgrades blur the line between indoors and out, making outdoor spaces a premium experience.
Why it matters: Guests are choosing restaurants based on outdoor spaces. Treating your patio like a core revenue center, not an afterthought, means investing in comfort, maintenance, and curb appeal.
New rules, new risks: outdoor dining regs are changing
As patios and parklets become permanent fixtures, cities across North America are tightening the screws on outdoor dining regulations.
What started as a pandemic fix is now getting permanent policies, and operators need to stay sharp.
🍎 Big Apple dining: NYC approved 2,400+ outdoor dining setups this season, but red tape remains thick.
With over 3,600 applications still pending, conditional permits and liquor license workarounds are helping operators open faster — but the full approval process remains sluggish.
😎 LA Al Fresco vibes: In LA, officials finalized a plan to overhaul pandemic-era outdoor dining allowances into a permanent program.
They’re adding rules around sidewalk width, ADA access, fire lane clearance, and design aesthetics.
🍽️ Street rules in the 6: Toronto’s CaféTO program is now permanent, but the city’s not playing around.
Why it matters: Pop-up patios are a thing of the past. With new municipal codes and more oversight, it’s crucial for operators to double-check compliance — from barrier heights to fire access to local sound ordinances. One overlooked detail can lead to costly fines or delayed openings.
Timely tips
Outdoor season is here, and your guests are ready to soak up sun and sips with a chill vibe. Here’s how to make sure your restaurant is patio-perfect 👇
🧊 Service the summer MVPs. Ice machines, soft-serve units, and anything that hums or freezes — get them serviced now. A breakdown in July won’t go over well with your customers.
⛱️ Design for dwell time. Patios aren’t bonus space — they’re revenue real estate. Dial in your layout for comfort, coverage, and capacity. Shade sells.
🦗Scrub It, Staff It, Spray It. Patio prep requires more than a wipe-down. Get surfaces spotless, your team tuned up, and pest control in early. Clean tables, smooth service, and a bug-free spot keep guests coming back.
Looking to get “summer-ready” with a new roof installation or a larger patio Reno? ResQ now offers Capital Project Management services. 🔥
From the community
Due’ Cucina’s messy lesson on preventative prep
Seattle-based Due’ Cucina is known for bringing a taste of Italy to local neighborhoods.
Their “local” reach dramatically expands during the Seattle Pride Parade, when foot traffic can jump by 50% and the street outside their Capitol Hill location becomes party central.
In their early days, they learned just how critical preventative maintenance really is. During their first Pride Parade weekend, they had a major sewage backup, shutting them down and forcing a $3,600 emergency repair. Ouch.
They quickly got a regular jetting schedule in place to prevent it from happening again.
But years later, it did.
Not because they skipped it — their vendor dropped the ball.
The service was marked as complete, but it wasn’t done. So there they were again: stocked, staffed, and ready for a record day...until the sewage spewed. Add another $3,600 repair, a cleaning crew, and a restaurant full of missed opportunity.
That was the tipping point.
Today, Due’ Cucina uses ResQ to make sure what’s scheduled actually gets done. They get real-time updates when maintenance happens, so nothing slips through the cracks, and their most profitable weekends stay that way.
Lesson learned: reliable vendors AND logs of all work orders aren’t just nice to have — they’re essential to keeping operations clean, compliant, and customer-ready.
Break time
The 4-step plan for fine(d) outdoor dining
Read your city’s fine print to get reservations… not violations.
— Kareem at ResQ
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Shameless plug
What does ResQ do?
ResQ is the most trades-friendly facilities management platform that streamlines restaurant R&M operations, while providing value to the trades industry.
Operators can efficiently track assets, create work orders quickly, and choose from a network of quality vendors to work with.
Love free samples? Same here. Schedule a FREE demo to learn more about ResQ.
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