Outdoor dining

Restaurant and hospitality tents: building an all-season outdoor dining space

The outdoor room.

For a restaurant, the tent is the room. It sets the temperature, the light and the sense of enclosure that turns a terrace into a dining room people choose to sit in — in October, not just July. The right structure extends your covers and your season; the wrong one looks tired under artificial light and lets the heat out before a word's been spoken. Here's how to get an outdoor dining space that earns its rent year-round.

Get a quoteHospitality

The legal bit, briefly

The licence first

A structure the public dines under sits inside two frameworks worth knowing. Pavement licences — introduced by the Business and Planning Act 2020 and made permanent by the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023 — cover furniture and structures on the highway, with your council setting the terms. And because the public is underneath it, the structure itself is an EN 13782 (wind and structural) and EN 13501-1 (fire) matter, not a garden-gazebo decision. We supply the certification as standard, so the licensing conversation is short. Our full range of hospitality tents for restaurants, hotels and venues is specified with both frameworks in mind.

Not fair-weather

Built for year-round trade

Heating sized to the space — quiet and even, not a patio glow; lighting that flatters; walls and lining for the cold months; and branding that reads as part of the venue, not a marquee hire. Climate control runs off Instagrid power where mains is awkward, so the outdoor room works whatever the month and wherever it sits.

The structure

Choosing it — permanent or seasonal

Presentation-grade frames (Pagode and GP) suit a permanent terrace — a fixed asset that needs the venue-grade structure and the certification to match. A seasonal setup that comes and goes wants a folding range and easy storage. Both are modular, so the footprint grows for events and divides for a private dining area. Not sure which fits your terrace? Compare the ranges.

Common questions

Restaurant and hospitality tents — FAQ

Do I need a licence for a restaurant tent?

If the structure sits on the highway, you will usually need a pavement licence — introduced by the Business and Planning Act 2020 and made permanent by the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023. Your council sets the terms and fee. On private land the planning position differs, but the structure still has to be compliant.

How do I heat an outdoor dining tent in winter?

With heating sized to the enclosed space — quiet and even, not a patio glow — plus walls and lining to hold the warmth. We scope the heating to the structure so the terrace works in October, not just July, and run it off Instagrid power where mains is awkward.

What structure suits a permanent terrace?

A presentation-grade frame (Pagode or GP) built and certified for a fixed installation. A seasonal setup that comes and goes wants a folding range and easy storage instead. Both are specified, not guessed.

Is it safe for the public to dine under?

It has to be. Because the public is underneath it, the structure is an EN 13782 (wind and structural) and EN 13501-1 (fire) matter, not a garden-gazebo decision. We supply the certification as standard, which keeps the licensing conversation short.

Can the structure be branded to the venue?

Yes — printed canopies, walls and detailing that read as part of the venue rather than a marquee hire, so the outdoor room looks like it belongs.

Next step

Specify your outdoor dining space

Tell us about your terrace and how you want to trade through the seasons, and we'll scope the structure, climate and branding to it.

Get a quoteHeating