Last Updated on August 12, 2023 by asifa
In post-Covid times, outdoor dining has been a very popular choice among legions of people. The guests not only love to sit out on a patio and enjoy delicious food in the company of friends and family but they also feel much safer too in an open environment. That’s why restaurants have been adding outdoor dining as an exciting feature to their service these days to lure customers.
To make it more comfortable for the patrons, you can also install a restaurant umbrella. The large outdoor umbrellas not only shelter the guests from the blazing sun and rain but can also add aesthetic value to your outdoor set-up. That’s why café umbrellas in Australia are extremely popular options under which diners can have their breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
However, restaurant umbrellas or outdoor café umbrellas are different from those you might use on your own patio or backyard. These umbrellas are meant to last long and be durable enough to handle regular use for many years in a row. This, though, prompts the question of whether we must have a table to fit and support the restaurant umbrella.
Being a restaurant or café owner, a table is a must-have accessory because of the simple reason that your guests would need something to keep their plate of food on. But does it necessarily mean that the table should be attached to your umbrella?
The answer is no. You can use a restaurant umbrella or café umbrella in Australia without a table and stabilise it only with a stand. At times, you can also use the outdoor café umbrella for promotional purposes with your unique brand logo and design.
But before we tell you how you can use an umbrella without a table, let’s first learn about why restaurants need umbrellas.
As a café or restaurant owner, you would like to accommodate as many happy guests as possible each day. So a set of large outdoor umbrellas can easily tie together the carefully selected details of your restaurant while providing other benefits, including:
- Comfort: Umbrellas provide the perfect balance of sunlight and shade so that your guests can enjoy their meals comfortably. Even if it drizzles, umbrellas can still provide the necessary protection while your guests have their food at a dry table.
- Maximizing your space: Outdoor dining is a great way to add more seating options to your commercial enterprise while enhancing a customer’s eating experience.
- Advertising: A stylish and comfortable-looking outdoor space will draw customers in. Add a colourful large outdoor umbrella and you can liven up your space further.
- Stylish touch: Umbrellas can add a bit of flair to your dining ambience. Your restaurant might be casual or upscale but umbrellas have universal features that could fit both decorative and functional purposes.
- A personalised experience: Restaurant umbrellas can create a personalised section of shade because they allow guests to customize their level of shade as the sun travels across the sky.
Now that you understand why umbrellas are important accessories for restaurants, we tell you about the different manners in which you can support your umbrella and erect it upright.
- Select a heavy umbrella stand: An umbrella stand is a heavy and free-standing object on which you can either fix or mount your umbrella. With a bigger base, the stand is likely to keep the café umbrella stable without support from any other objects.
- Size of stand: A rule of thumb to figure the size of an umbrella stand is that it should be at least 25-30 % of the umbrella’s size. For instance, if you choose a 3m (10 ft) umbrella, your stand should measure at least 0.9m.
- Weight of the stand: Weight is vital when you are choosing an umbrella stand. The recommended stand weights are:
- For café umbrellas in Australia that are 2 m or smaller, the weight could be anything between 50-69lbs.
- If your umbrella is 2.5 m or smaller, the base weight is recommended anything between 70-89lbs.
- If an umbrella is 3m or smaller, the base weight should be anything from 90+ lbs.
- If your umbrella is 4m, the ideal base weight is anything from 120+ lbs.
Factors to consider before choosing your umbrella stand:
How heavy should you select the umbrella stand?
The larger your outdoor café umbrella is, the heavier your stand must be.
Can the umbrella’s pole fit into the base?
Before you select a stand, you must know exactly the diameter of the centre pole. The sleeve of a stand should be a bit bigger than your restaurant umbrella’s pole.
Should the stand be mounted or not?
It depends on your umbrella’s use, size and location. If the stand is mounted, it will offer a lot of stability, regardless of its size.
Conclusion
You can install restaurant umbrellas without a table. That’s the bottom line. But you need to buy an umbrella stand to secure your umbrella. The stand will make sure that your umbrella is stabilised and fixed tightly to a place. However, a good point to remember while choosing restaurant umbrellas is that you might want to provide shade and decor that matches the ambience of your commercial space.
