What infrared heaters are ideal for a restaurant or bar?

Happy diners sitting outside in the sun enjoying a meal and drinks with the pleasure of friends and family as company is what the hospitality sector needs to see more of. Making the most of any outdoor space will be the key to welcoming back customers and helping them to feel at ease as they socialise.

A safe environment also needs to be comfortable and welcoming to keep customers returning – after all the British weather can be a little unpredictable at the best of times. Installing infrared heaters will ensure that families and friends enjoying a drink or meal together will keep warm – and stay longer.

Putting the right equipment in place outdoors could make a vital difference in the success of your pub or restaurant reopening.

 

Staying warm dining outdoors: What infrared heaters are ideal for a restaurant or bar?

Deciding what infrared heaters are ideal for a restaurant or bar depends on the area that you have to heat and how many customers you will expect.

Bear in mind the restraints of social distancing and how the heat generated may need to be spread across a certain area to reach all the customers as huddling under a single patio heater is not an option for most venues.

Thoughtful planning will allow your pub or restaurant to use infrared heaters to keep customers warm without wasting energy. As infrared heaters warm objects rather than space, you can use a projection of how you intend to use outdoor seating to maximise efficiency.

 

How to choose commercial heaters for restaurants based on space available

Rather than focusing on a particular model of infrared heater for a pub or restaurant, the best approach is to consider the space that needs to be heated and then choose the best heaters to fulfil that.

With tables positioned two metres apart you will need to consider the reach of individual heaters and how they will keep customers warm.

Double heaters are particularly efficient in this situation as they can project heat in two directions from one location. If multiples tables will be in use a design service will help you to work out how many infrared heaters will be needed to ensure the comfort of all customers.

Thanks to the flexible options in the installation of infrared heaters these can be mounted in different locations – ceiling, wall or suspended – to ensure effectiveness and not impinge on the space you have.

It is also important to consider the impact of the weather. A nice sheltered courtyard bar area will need less consideration for the elements than a wide-open seafront garden, for example. While heaters can’t stop the rain, they can help to take the edge off windchill, which is an important consideration if your bar or restaurant is in an area that will be affected by the wind.

As infrared heaters warm the person not the air, they are not susceptible to the air being disrupted and blown around as a convection heater would be. However, wind chill can still leave the skin feeling cold so it is important to use the most effective infrared heaters for an outdoor location and position them so that windchill will have the least impact.

 

Keeping customers comfortable outside

Ideal social distancing remains at 2 metres, although the 1-metre plus rule makes life easier for pubs and restaurants to trade efficiently. However, customers may feel more at ease where generous spacing between tables is possible, which could mean heating a larger area to accommodate this.

What pubs and restaurants certainly don’t want to see is diners and drinkers shifting closer to the heat source as they battle for warmth. Creating a safe outdoor space that staff can easily manage, and customers feel comfortable in is essential – and part of this is ensuring an even and uninterrupted heat source.

 

What to expect from a commercial infrared heater?

Infrared heaters are the ideal heat source for outdoor hospitality as they deliver efficient, weatherproof heating without emitting a strong glare.

Heaters with a lower wattage can cater for smaller areas with models such as the Tansun Bahama Single being able to be hung from a parasol or awning while offering 1.5 kw of power, which will project heat up to 12m2.

For larger outdoor areas, where height and width need to be accounted for the 3kw of power from a heater such as a Tansun Rio Grande Double will deliver heat across a larger area of up to 22m2.

To preserve the atmosphere, high quality Tansun infrared heaters are fitted with gold reflectors or lamps to reduce glare.

With the British weather to consider, bars and restaurants looking for outdoor infrared heaters can rest assured Tansun offers fully weather-proof infrared heaters with high IP ratings.

 

Bespoke infrared heaters for a restaurant environment

Adding infrared heaters to a restaurant should serve to enhance the experience, not compromise the atmosphere with harsh lighting.

Mindful of this need, heaters such as the Tansun Sorrento range offer highly efficient, yet unobtrusive heating and are available as a single, double or triple heater.

Tansun Sorrento and Bahama heaters are ideal heaters for a restaurant environment and can be incorporated into a bespoke heating scheme. The Bahama range offer a slim, sleek profile for minimalist and smaller settings.

 

Contact Aureum for high quality infrared heaters

Whether it is a vast outdoor space that you want to transform into an outdoor restaurant or the addition of pavement seating, it’s now easy to ensure that your customers are kept warm.

Aureum Heating supply high-quality infrared heaters and, rather than pushing you to buy a particular product, we will supply you with the facts to make the right decision for your business on what infrared heaters are ideal for your restaurant or bar.

Offering a comprehensive heating plan design service, the will be able to map out the best heating scheme to keep the outside of your bar or restaurant warm.

To make sure your customers always drink and dine al fresco in comfort contact Aureum for help putting together a top-performance heating plan.