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Rising sales reveal a very clear trend: 40 to 50 percent of restaurant sales are now generated from outdoor offers. The magazine Tophotel.de identifies great opportunities for increasing sales, particularly in the year-round use of terraces and outdoor areas used for catering. Sunshine and mild temperatures are indeed generating lively interest in outdoor gastronomy. But how do you attract guests outdoors even in the colder months? Let our gastronomy ideas for outdoor events inspire you and create your own program for your beer garden, street café or outdoor restaurant.
Spring is a classic time for new beginnings: as soon as the first beautiful days lure people out of their homes and the crocuses shoot up from the ground, you should offer your guests something that tickles their taste buds and promises them new experiences. The bright daylight after a long winter period sharpens the human senses, making spring the ideal time to try something new. Carnival parades also lure people outdoors and a lavish Easter brunch not only bids a final farewell to winter, but also marks the traditional end to Lent.
Fruity, tart or exotic: the abundance of different lemonades knows no bounds this summer. Mix your own refreshing thirst quenchers using numerous lemonade recipes and invite your guests to a lemonade tasting. Families with children, in particular, will be delighted with the variety of flavors in the fresh air. Served in various drinking glasses and garnished with fruit, these springtime refreshments will whet the appetite for many hours in your outdoor restaurant.
Easter is celebrated by most families, although its religious significance is waning. The long Easter weekend offers the ideal opportunity for a trip to visit relatives and to enjoy the spring weather together. If Easter Sunday is late, the weather will already be mild enough for your guests to sit and relax on your terrace. At a lavish Easter brunch with sweet Easter lamb and colorful eggs, older guests can enjoy the relaxed atmosphere while the children can search for hidden chocolate eggs. The hunt for the Easter bunny convinces many families to visit your outdoor restaurant, and the organizational effort for you remains relatively low.
Decorate your tables with lilies of the valley, daffodils and other spring flowers in vases. This will give your Easter table an extra dose of spring.
In the hot season, there is no shortage of occasions to spend time outdoors. You should entice your guests into the outdoor area of your restaurant with unusual events. Do your guests come to you primarily for the variety of food? Take them on a culinary journey to other countries. Do your guests appreciate the informal atmosphere of your restaurant? Then invite them to major sporting events in your outdoor area.
A crackling fire, the blazing flames and red embers cast a spell over people around the globe. The summer solstice, the day on which the highest position of the sun is celebrated, is greeted by large bonfires all over the world. Does your beer garden adjoin a large plot of land that you own or with whose owner you are on good terms? Then organizing a midsummer party is worth considering. However, don't underestimate the organizational effort involved: in addition to the space for the fire and the fuel, you also need to ensure compliance with safety regulations. It is essential to register the open fireplace with the state, region or municipality. You should always remember to comply with fire safety regulations, keep a safe distance and give your guests precise instructions, as this is the only way to ensure that nothing stands in the way of an atmospheric midsummer celebration.
The winter solstice is on December 21 and 22 every year, so a solstice bonfire is a special highlight before the Christmas holidays. Especially for restaurants that are closed over the holidays anyway, such a celebration brings the year to an atmospheric close.
Summertime is barbecue time: surprise your guests with a barbecue of a special kind and invite them to a Spanish evening. With a plancha grill and a grill platter, you can prepare original Spanish tapas and meat dishes directly in the outdoor area of your restaurant. Your guests can watch while they drink ice-cold sangria. Or serve gyros from a rotating spit while your guests dance sirtaki to Greek music. Outdoor kitchens fascinate with their culinary diversity in the open air. If the delicious meals are complemented by a lovingly put together supporting program and matching decoration, your party in the outdoor area of your restaurant will be a complete success.
In the case of live music or musical sound reinforcement, you should not only ensure compliance with noise protection and other regulations for outdoor catering, but also take care to register with GEMA.
Watching soccer together outdoors is not only a popular activity in the years when the World Cup is being held. European Championships, Champions League finals or special Bundesliga matches are a welcome opportunity to sit together with friends in a beer garden and rant about the incompetence of the professional footballers or the referee over beer, sausages and chips. If you decide to broadcast a soccer event in your outdoor area, you should make sure that the view is good: a powerful projector and a sufficiently large screen will provide a satisfactory view of the battle for the round leather. For public soccer broadcasts, you should also register the event with GEMA to avoid disputes over fees.
The days are getting shorter, but in the best case scenario, outdoor gastronomy can look forward to a golden autumn. The cool evenings are warmed by a stylish fire basket, where your guests can keep warm. In the blue hour shortly after sunset, a small fire also provides pleasant, romantic light. Treat your guests to homemade pumpkin soup in hand-sized rolls or warm golden milk with ginger and saffron to warm them from the inside. Classic autumn recipes such as onion tart, solyanka, goulash soup or apple pie also go down well and can be prepared without much effort.
Autumn is also the time for new wine. Serve Federweißer or other not yet fully fermented grape must with your autumnal dishes.
Despite cold temperatures, snow and ice, you don't have to close your outdoor area completely in winter. The right event will attract many people to your restaurant even on cold but sunny days. The ritual of the Feuerzangenbowle, in which a sugar loaf is soaked in rum and then set alight, is very popular. The special punch bowl, which is filled with red wine punch, catches the caramelizing sugar and thus provides the sweet taste for which the strong punch is famous. If there is enough snow, it is worth creating a snow bar: you can pile up a counter made of snow for your guests to lean against and drink mulled wine, punch and punch bowl.
On New Year's Eve, your outdoor catering will be particularly well attended if you offer a New Year's Eve menu in your restaurant beforehand. During the fireworks at midnight, your guests will continue to celebrate and consume outside if you offer catering in your outdoor area.