Thinking outside the box: alternative ways to use your outside space

The summer months typically mean customers are more inclined to want to dine and drink al fresco, so owning, or having the use of the space outside your restaurant, hotel or pub can bring obvious benefits to your business.

But with British summers as unpredictable as they are and operators needing ever more reasons to attract customers during the recession there is never a better time to think about maximising the potential of your outside space.

Whether you have access to a tiny courtyard, or acres of countryside, there are plenty of different ways you can utilise the space outside your property to give your business a point of difference, make it more attractive to customers and ultimately help boost your profits.

BigHospitality speaks to operators in different sectors of the industry who have found alternative uses for their outside space to provide you with inspiration.

Alternative accommodation

Hotelier and restaurateur Gavin Oakley has just pitched a 21ft diameter tipi in the grounds of his Dover hotel Walletts Court​ to provide 'a talking point' and an alternative accommodation option for guests.

The white tipi, bought from Big Hill Tipis in Kent for £2k, is set within the hotel's seven acres of land and is a striking contrast to the Kent countryside.

The interior, which includes a Queen-sized bed, Siberian goose down duvet and a wooden floor built from reclaimed timber, was designed by the White Cliffs Trading Company and Lexington Concept Stores​ and cost around another £1k to do.

Guests booking the tipi get the experience of camping, but have access to all the luxuries of a hotel. For £49.50, guests get breakfast in the hotel's dining room and have access to the hotel's spa and grounds. They also get their own private bathroom within the hotel.

Despite only being pitched a month ago, Oakley says the tipi is already attracting a high number of bookings and he is already considering pitching a few more for next summer. "It does give us something else to offer our guests. We're a country house hotel, but we like to think outside the box slightly, and I think this is a good way of using the space we've got.

"The bookings so far are from people who have stayed with us already so it's another excuse for them to come back. I think you have to reinvent yourself and offer your customers something new and exciting to keep them coming back. Even if they stay in the hotel and just look at it in the grounds - it's a talking point for them at least."

The family market

When she looked for a site for her restaurant The Yard​ in Edinburgh four years ago, businesswoman Lorraine Politti's priority was finding a place that was right for families. She'd run a play centre, Molly's, in the city for several years and wanted to combine her previous business experience with becoming a restaurateur.

The site she found was on the top floor of Ocean Terminal, a shopping centre on Edinburgh's waterfront, which had an outdoor courtyard area.

Following 550k of investment, the site has been turned into a family restaurant which overlooks a children's play area. The play area sits within a sheltered courtyard and has been fitted out with protective flooring, playhouses and games such as Jenga and Connect 4. Politti says the space means she can provide a place for families to enjoy time together - being within a walled area, it also provides security for children and peace of mind for parents.

"By having the outdoor area that’s right outside the eating area, it means youngsters have the freedom to play, then sit down for a meal, then go outside again – while the rest of the family can relax," she says. "People have such busy lives that sitting down for a family meal is too often a rarity these days."

Events space

With its prime location on London's King's Road and established reputation, the Bluebird​ restaurant already has a loyal following. Nevertheless, manager Giuseppe De Wilde is always looking at ways to reinvent and renew the business to make it more appealing to customers.

Two years ago, inspired by the excitement surrounding Wimbledon, he decided to make the restaurant's 20m by 10m courtyard look like a tennis court and create a Wimbledon themed menu for the week.

It proved so popular with customers that this year he upped the ante; decking the area out with astroturf, putting up a canopy with giant tennis balls and installing a huge portable TV screen so customers could watch the match while dining.

"We've never been so busy," he says. "For the final we sold tickets for £60 per couple which included a bottle of Black Label Lanson Champagne and a three course menu. We were packed and even had people outside the restaurant stopping to watch. It was fantastic."

De Wilde won't reveal the exact cost of the Wimbledon promotion to the business, but says it runs into several thousands. However, he secured sponsorship from Lanson Champagne for the event and trade was notably up, so he says the initial spend can be worth it."We were so busy for that particular week so the investment was well worth it and it's all about giving your customer something back. Trade was up 35 per cent on the same week the previous year, so it's certainly good for business."

Courtyard events at the Bluebird are dependent on dry weather as De Wilde says the restaurant does not have large awnings to cover it when it rains, but it has been used in the winter months for a winter wonderland themed event, complete with alpine chalet, so it is not simply a case of making hay while the sun shines. The key benefit, he says, is that the space can be used for the business to experiment with creative ideas without having to affect the main restaurant area.

What else could you do?

• Install heated cabanas like those at the Stag in Hampstead​, which allow customers to eat outside in the winter too. 
• If you have access to a river or a lake, moor a boat to give you extra dining or drinking space. The Captain’s Club Hotel in Christchurch​, Dorset has a 34ft Fairline Targa motor cruiser moored on the River Stour which it uses for summer picnic cruises and afternoon teas.  
• Properties in city or town centre locations could team up with the local council to use the bandstand or other key features of the town to host outdoor events. The Vincent Hotel​ in Southport uses a bandstand outside the property during weddings for outdoor toasts and pictures and is in talks with  the local council about utilising the space for more outdoor events.
• Buy some outdoor games for children and adults. Philip Davison, landlord of Wadworth pub The Sun in the Wood​ at Ashmore Green near Thatcham, has installed a 9-hole crazy golf course in the pub's garden.