An outdoor dining area can be a useful addition to any restaurant, letting your customers enjoy fine weather and picturesque views while also giving you a handy overflow seating area. Constructing a covered patio over your outdoor seating area can make it even more useful, providing shelter and letting customers dine al fresco even during inclement weather.

However, covered patios do not provide all-weather protection, and fitting some outdoor blinds to your restaurant's covered patio will help keep out chilly draughts and blinding late-afternoon sun. If you want to fit outdoor blinds to your restaurant's covered patio, keep the following guidelines in mind as you shop around to ensure that the blinds you choose are suitable for your needs.

Automated blinds are convenient, but manual blinds are reliable

When choosing outdoor blinds for your restaurant's patio, you will have to choose between automated electric blinds or manual, hand-cranked blinds. Automatic blinds are certainly more convenient to use and can be adjusted quickly and quietly to account for changing weather conditions without disturbing your diners. They also tend to be quicker and easier to install if you have limited free wall space, as you do not have to install an attached cranking system.

However, hand-cranked blinds are much less mechanically complex and therefore tend to be a lot more reliable. If your restaurant is located in an area with changeable weather, choosing manual blinds will ensure that your blinds don't fail when you need them the most.

Weatherproof fabrics may be worth the investment

Whether you choose automated or manual blinds for your covered patio, they won't be much use if the fabric the blinds are made from isn't up to standard. Outdoor blinds are made from a wide variety of fabrics, from simple heavy-duty cotton to sophisticated synthetic fabrics, but most types of fabric will work effectively as long as you obtain your outdoor blinds from a reputable supplier.

However, if you want your outdoor blinds to keep out driving rains as well as the glare of the sun, you should pay a little extra for outdoor blinds made with weatherproof fabrics, such as coated polyester or oilcloth. While most weatherproof fabrics aren't totally waterproof, they will provide effective shelter for your diners if the weather suddenly turns foul.

Transparent blinds can shed light on the situation

Outdoor blinds are excellent at keeping out unpleasant weather, but they also tend to block out a lot of natural light. Deploying your outdoor blinds during bad weather can make your covered dining area dark and dreary, and can force you to rely on artificial light sources, especially during evening hours.

Transparent outdoor blinds made from PVC and other plastics are available and are excellent at providing shelter while still letting natural light into your covered patio. They are also useful if your restaurant enjoys picturesque views, allowing your outdoor diners to soak in the scenery whatever the weather. However, bear in mind that transparent blinds will do nothing to keep out heat from the sun's glare, and a covered patio completely enclosed by transparent blinds can quickly become uncomfortably hot and stuffy.