If you own a restaurant, you are likely always looking for ways to improve your business so you can increase the satisfaction of current customers and attract new customers. You can achieve both of those goals by adding an entrance canopy to your restaurant.

Read on to learn two ways entrance canopies benefit restaurant owners and customers.

1. Shelter Current Customers Waitingfor Tables From the Outdoor Elements

If you have a small indoorrestaurant waiting area, some customers waiting for tables may have to standoutside your restaurant while waiting for seats in the indoor waiting area toopen. While customers may not mind waiting outdoors when the weather is nice,they may leave and visit other restaurants instead of waiting outside when theweather is especially cold in the winter or hot in the summer.

After you install an entrance canopywith seating underneath it, you may find that not only do fewer customers leavewhen they realize they must wait outdoors, but many customers may prefer towait outside under the canopy where they can enjoy the fresh air instead ofwaiting in your crowded waiting area

To keep customers waiting outdoorswarm during the cold winter, install heat lamps under the canopy. During thesummer, the area underneath the canopy will naturally stay cooler as the canopyblocks the sun's harsh UV rays. The temperature under a typical awning orcanopy is about 10 to 15 degrees F cooler than the surrounding air.

Do not worry that you will have toinvest in a potentially pricey restaurant pager system when you have customerswaiting for tables outdoors. Instead, you can have your host or hostess takecustomer phone numbers and then call customers when their tables are ready or,if necessary, simply call the name of the next customer to be seated bothindoors and outdoors underneath the canopy.

2. Attract New Customers

Adding an entrance canopy to yourrestaurant can also help you attract new customers by both increasing the curbappeal of your restaurant and by attracting the eye of potential customerspassing your restaurant on foot or by car.

While you can increase the curbappeal of your business by simply choosing an awning that is attractive andcomplements your restaurant theme well, a carefully designed canopy can furtherlure new patrons into your restaurant.

When designing your new canopy,first be sure to include graphics that display your restaurant name followed bythe word "restaurant" in large lettering in a color that contrastsgreatly from your canopy background color scheme. Potential customers who havenever visited your restaurant may not realize your building contains arestaurant unless you state that fact clearly on your canopy or other highlyvisible sign.

Also, choose your canopy colorswisely. Industry experts warn that the colors blue, purple,and black should not be included on restaurant canopies because they can beunappetizing. On the other hand, the colors bright red and yellow stimulate theappetite. Also, these bright colors suggest that customers will be provided witha quick and speedy dining experience, which is what many busy diners seektoday.

If you would like to incorporate oneof these bright colors in your canopy design without implying customers willhave especially speedy service, consider a striped canopy instead of asolid-colored one. Striped canopies signal that customers are in for a relaxeddining experience.

Darker, more muted canopy colors,such as maroon and forest green imply that a restaurant will provide a morerelaxed and leisurely upscale dining experience.

You can further increase restaurantcurb appeal and lure new customers by designing the space underneath yourcanopy properly. Research has shown that customers are morelikely to patronize restaurants that are landscaped.

When you fill underneath the canopywith attractive potted plants, you can take advantage of this fact even if youhave no land in front of your restaurant where you can plant flowers or otherplants.

Entrance canopies offer many benefits that allrestaurant owners should take advantage of. Contact Lexington Tent & Awningto discuss the design and installation of your new entrance canopy today.