Things to Consider When You Buy A Patio Heater for a Restaurant

Spring and fall are great for restaurants as people emerge from the winter and rush to dine out. Many restaurants feature pleasant outdoor decks and patios for diners wishing to eat in the fresh air. But, there are still many days where the evening air is just a few degrees too cool for customers to enjoy eating outside. Restaurant owners looking to increase traffic on those colder weekend nights where customers are waiting for seats are finding patio heaters a perfect solution.
There are a few things to consider before you buy a patio heater to accommodate more customers on cold nights.



Will you need more than one heater?
Depending on how large your patio or deck is, you may need several patio heaters to warm every table. A standard heater has about a 20 ft radius, but check the product description to make sure the heater can accommodate your space.


How will it be fueled?
Your options are natural gas and propane. They are roughly equal in price. If you already have the hookups, a natural gas heater is easy to set up with a steel gas line or a flexible hose. Propane usually needs a separate tank that you will refill/replace as needed.


Essential Features
Tilt switch - the heater will shut itself off if it is knocked over. This is reassuring in a busy, crowded restaurant, or any that have patrons consuming alcohol.
Ignition - multispark makes for faster, easier startup.
BTU - 40,000 to 50,000 BTU will give you about a 20 foot heating diameter. You can find other models that will provide greater or less range according to your needs.

Comments

[Marcella Davis]

I own a restaurant/bar in colorado. It still gets pretty chilly after dark, so I have been considering a heater to encourage patrons to use the outer deck later into the night. But I have been hearing a lot from other business owners that these heaters can be expensive to run. Does the cost of fueling the heaters outweigh the potential for added revenue if customers will use the heated deck? I imagine I could get another $1000 on a weekend night with my 25 x 35 ft. deck. Can you advise me on how many and which heaters I would buy and what it would cost to run them for a few hours at night?