Stop Letting Your Patio Go To Waste in the Winter
It’s a bummer seeing a great outdoor space sit empty just because the temperature dipped. Most people try to fight the cold by heating the air, but that’s a losing battle. The wind just carries the warmth away, and you’re left paying for electricity that nobody actually feels. We do things differently. We use ceiling-mounted infrared heaters. Here is the trick: instead of trying to warm up the entire outdoors, these units target your guests directly. It’s a lot like standing in a patch of sunlight on a chilly day. You feel that immediate warmth on your skin, even if the air around you is crisp. The nitty-gritty on how it works Standard gas blowers just push warm air up—which is exactly where it goes. It drifts toward the sky while your customers are still shivering. Infrared waves are different. They travel in a straight line until they hit something solid. In this case, that “something” is your guest. By mounting these on the ceiling, we create a cozy “warm zone” right where people are sitting. A quick warning about your power Before you go all-in, we need to talk about your electrical panel. These units pack a punch—usually between 2000W and 3000W. If you just plug a bunch of them into one old circuit, you’re going to trip your breakers right in the middle of a Friday night rush. That’s a nightmare nobody wants. We usually suggest running dedicated circuits for every three or four units just to keep things stable. Why this actually matters for your bottom line It’s simple: cold people leave. When a patio is freezing, guests rush through their entrees and bolt for the door. But when they’re warm and comfortable? They linger. They order that second bottle of wine. They stay for dessert. You’re basically adding more usable square footage to your restaurant without having to build a new room. One thing to keep in mind, though: placement is everything. If you hang them too low, the person directly underneath is going to feel like they’re in a sauna, while the person a few feet away is still cold. We’ll help you figure out the right height based on the wattage so the heat spreads evenly across the table.