Winter Storms Devastate Restaurant Industry
It’s no secret that winter storms hurt the restaurant industry this year. Restaurant patrons across 33% of the country have been reluctant or unable to leave their homes for the better part of 2014, Wade Handson, a principal at Technomic says. As Spring arrives, consumers will reenter the foodservice industry, but January and February have left […]
First in it’s class of retractable patio structures: Crooked Pint thermally separated Cabreeze
I’m writing today about something new and thrilling! You might remember the Thermally Broken or Separated Cabreeze™ blog post a few months ago. It’s the concept that a building can have conditioned space (interior heated and/or cooled space) that can open to the outdoors. Today it’s a real life concept! You might be wondering… inside dining room […]
Something big is coming + pre-patio season tips
This year, the frost levels are so deep that Spring is certain to be days — if not weeks! — later than usual. Use these tips to create peace of mind and make sure your restaurant is 100% ready to come out of hibernation and make the entrance into Patio Season! Catalog patio furniture. Make […]
Outdoor wedding horror stories; tents are for camping and the circus
Recently I was speaking with an events coordinator and he shared a couple tent related horror stories. At his location in NYC, they host a number of weddings. And, as an option, they offer the wedding party the use of a tent. Flapping tent noise. One wedding, the wind was so strong they couldn’t hear the […]
Should I put a garage door on my restaurant?
Some people think an ordinary garage door on a restaurant will be just fine. It’s not. Not only are the exposed rails really unsightly, but also ordinary garage doors simply don’t have the integrity you need to keep your restaurant secure and clean. You’ve seen the “cost cutting” strategy of installing cheap garage doors to […]
What can we do for you?
INCREASE PATIO DAYS. Our ideal client is someone who has an outdoor patio and — because of weather — sometimes needs to turn people away because their patio is unusable. We take your patio and turn it into a 4-season (yes, all year round, 365 1/4th days) aesthetically pleasing place to eat, dance, book bachelorette parties […]
How long will it take for us to have a Cabreeze™?
Today my goal is to answer a common question: ”how long does it take?” The simple answer is 15-32 weeks. (We’ve been averaging 17 weeks to installation.) The more in-depth answer is here: One. When you first meet us at a trade show or by a Google search, it might take you some time to […]
Are you a visionary?
vi·sion·ar·y ˈviZHəˌnerē/ adjective 1. a person with original ideas about what the future will or could be like. ”a visionary leader” • • • Our job gives us the opportunity to meet with a lot of creative people. The hospitality industry alone has its fair share of creative people but restaurateurs take the cake! The nature […]
4 ways to control wind with retractable patio walls
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the [walls of his patio]. ~William Arthur Ward There are many elements that stop restaurant guests from dining on a restaurant’s patio. These elements are hard to measure, for example: wind. A soft breeze is beneficial and appealing on a […]
I will never own another restaurant patio!
”I will never have another patio at my restaurant!” These are the strong words a recent client once used. He promised himself he would never experience the frustrations of a patio again. That was until we met at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. At that time, he was building a new restaurant using […]