Outdoor Seating: Recent Trends and Insights

Outdoor seating is an increasingly popular way to activate streetscapes and encourage economic development in neighborhood commercial districts. Outdoor seating has the capacity to attract more patrons by blurring the boundary between inside and out and bringing vibrancy to streets and commercial corridors.  Furthermore, it expands seating capacity for businesses and reinforces the image of a thriving downtown.

This London restaurant added removable planters to separate eating and circulation areas

During our work at LOA we have met many business owners who have shared with us the benefits that adding outdoor seating have brought to their businesses.  In fact, recent research by the Simons Advisory Group has shown that a simple deck or patio can increase revenue by up to 30 percent. What is it about outdoor seating that has such a large effect on customers? There are many factors involved, most of which revolve around comfort. Some people say that an outdoor dining experience makes the food taste fresher and better. Others simply enjoy gazing at the view as they share a meal with friends or family. Below are some recent trends*.

Sidewalk seating

One of the easiest ways to offer customers the joys of an open-air dining experience is to add a sidewalk dining area with a few comfortable sets of tables and chairs that match the restaurant’s theme. Sidewalk seating gives lots of flexibility, too. During lunchtime, diners will appreciate a casual dining experience as they watch pedestrians or sip a cold beverage while they enjoy the shade. At night, candles or umbrella lighting can make the atmosphere more intimate and create an attractive display for onlookers to enjoy. 

The added seating outside this bakery have brought vibrancy and liveliness to this section of Broadway, NYC

Rooftop dining

What if the business doesn’t have the space to expand outward? In these instances, many restaurateurs are instead choosing to expand upwards. From London to New York, diners everywhere are talking about rooftop eateries. Why? Because the bird’s-eye view allows them to take in beautiful city skylines or wide-open landscapes as they dine.

Dining in the garden

One of the industry’s hottest trends is farm-to-table food, and it’s a trend that is easily combined with outdoor dining. To take advantage of this trend, it’s less about the space — a sidewalk, deck, patio or rooftop — and more about what you grow in it. Some restaurants are landscaping their outdoor dining areas with the same fruits and vegetables that they’re serving their customers. With the addition of a few raised beds, you can create a wonderfully relaxing environment for your guests while growing some of the lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and other fruits and vegetables that you’ll be serving.


 Inspired? As a downtown district practitioner you can (and should!) encourage the trend:

• Consider a program for helping local business owners navigate permit process and even a grant to offset their initial costs (i.e. to help with design services, or outdoor furniture, etc.)
• Help with expediting the process. Nearly all municipalities require some sort of outdoor dining permit so consider creating a simple guide to the permitting process or providing individual guidance to business owners.  
• Track the number of establishments with outdoor seating and share their success with other business owners. This could inspire many others to join the trend.

*Based on trends by Jeff Caldwell written for http://www.fastcasual.com

IDA Atlanta: A Few Takeways

We came back from IDA Atlanta inspired with the exciting panels we had the opportunity to attend. For those who missed the conference (and the fun!) here are some key takeaways:

The rise of mid-tier cities – millennials are moving back to mid-tier cities attracted by real estate affordability and quality of life.  Some lessons learned:

•       Yes, millennials are moving back but they want to see positive change if they are to stay. They not only want to see those cities improving, but they want to be part of the change. Cities willing to attract (and especially retain) this population need to provide avenues for active civic engagement (and not just events).
•       Walkability and the availability of multiple transportation options are the main factors attracting residents and businesses downtown.
•       Availability of retail (eating establishments as well as stores) within walking distance of work is an amenity increasingly valued by employees and employers alike. Thus, investing in downtown commercial corridors, making them walkable and vibrant, is a necessary economic development strategy for those cities willing to attract the young skilled labor force (of the not so distant future).

Vibrancy is an economic development engine, but in districts with an active nighttime activity it is fundamental to balance the needs of customers and nearby residents. Some lessons learned:

•       After complaints from residents, Edmonton installed urinals and found that over 500 people used them every night. With that information in hand, local commercial district practitioners were able to successfully advocate for the installation of public restrooms. 
•        Night transportation is a problem.  In many cities public transit stops service before restaurants and bars close, forcing people to rely on automobiles. In many nighttime areas, traffic becomes a problem, with all the taxis, ubers and lyfts parking around to pick up customers. To address this problem, Austin created designated places for taxis and car service companies with strong enforcement.
•       The creation of a local Hospitality Business Association (or Committee) is a first step towards establishing better interactions between businesses and local communities. Having open meetings between the association and community members allows for constant communication and having issues addressed before they become a problem. 
•       A successful example includes the creation of local Community Court programs that allow people who commit low-level misdemeanors to avoid a criminal record if they complete community service and pay a smaller fine. The service typically ranges from clean up to graffiti removal events. The Beach Area Community Court in Pacific Beach has had an acceptance rate of 88% (of offenders accepting to participate in the program) and reports a recidivism rate of less than 5%.

      Civic engagement is no longer an option -  it is a must in creating more authentic and inclusive revitalization initiatives. Some of the main challenges include avoiding narrow interests to hijack the public dialogue, including the voices of the typically missing groups (minorities), and maintaining public trust in the process and the players. Some ideas and tools to address these challenges include:

•       One way to generate meaningful participation includes the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) approach by focusing (and valuing) on what is working in the district, analyzing why it is working and fostering more of it. The basic tenet of AI is that a district(or organization) will grow in whichever directions the people in the district focus their attention.
•      One way to reach people that are typically absent from the discussion is to bring the questions (the process) where they are and at the times that they are there (i.e. engage local students and have them interview their elders; bring the project to a local coffee shop, or the farmers market, and ask only one or two questions to make sure more people participate).

Some interesting engagement tools include:

Liberating Structures is an engagement model that facilitates relational coordination and trust. It consists of microstructures that foster lively participation in groups of any size, making it possible to truly include and unleash everyone. The website has a menu with 34 structures on how groups can organize interactions and work together in multiple ways.  

Neighborland is a platform that allows civic leaders to collaborate with local communities in an accessible and participatory way. It does that by integrating on-site and online community feedback within the project website and allowing for continual feedback and online discussions.

MetroQuest is a community engagement software designed to educate communities and collect informed input in a short period of time. Participants can see the impact of their choices in real time and learn alternatives and tradeoffs based on their own priorities.

Getting (un)Wired

Back in 2013 news came of several districts in NYC getting wired...or unwired rather.  Ten commercial corridors got free Wi-Fi in New York City, under then Mayor Bloomberg, and were selected through the Wireless Corridor Challenge, led by the NYC Economic Development Corporation.  That means that in December 2013, people were able to receive wireless internet in corridors in all five boroughs. 

Image source: sofrep.com/

Recently, the Flatiron Partnership, who has offered free wireless internet since 2011, announced substantial expansion of their existing Wi-Fi network in its two Public Plazas at Broadway, Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street.

Here are some numbers to give you an idea of Flatiron's wireless usage:

• In 2014, while the network was still in development, over 175,000 users logged on 
• In April 2015, an average of approximately 3,000 per day accessed the network
• Increased usage anticipated this summer as more people spend time outdoors

As noted by Flatiron Partnership's Executive Director, Jennifer Brown, “The wireless corridor is an example of public/private partnership at its best, and further enhances the appeal of Flatiron as a destination in which to shop, dine and explore.”  Flatiron Partnerships partnered with several area property owners and commercial businesses to launch the WiFi corridor as well as received funding from NYCEDC.  This expansion further bolsters the corridor's reputation as a hub of technology and innovation with many tech firms and startups in the area. 

Moreover, offering free WiFi can have tangible benefits to businesses. Last year Devicescape commissioned a study by iGR of 400 small businesses that offered free WiFi to customers, including independent “mom and pop” retail stores like bars, restaurants, fast food places, coffee shops, clothing boutiques, book shops and salons. The results revealed that offering free WiFi increased foot traffic, the time customers on premises and the amount they spent in the stores.

Image source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2014/06/benefits-of-offering-free-wifi.html

As customers are becoming ever more attached to computers and smartphone devices, offering continued access to the internet in commercial corridors does more than strengthen its reputation as an innovation hub, it can boost visitor traffic and demand. 

For a full list to see if the NYC corridor near you is connected or for more information click HERE.

Co-written by Scott Landfried and Patricia Voltolini