Autumn gardens: Outside bet

Related tags Smoking ban Public house Calor

Making the most of your outdoors could be a huge bonus if a smoking ban comes in - but even if it doesn't it can build trade. By Phil Mellows.If a...

Making the most of your outdoors could be a huge bonus if a smoking ban comes in - but even if it doesn't it can build trade. By Phil Mellows.

If a smoking ban is imposed on Britain's pub trade, better hope it starts in May. As the experience of bans in Ireland and elsewhere has shown, smokers who stay loyal to the pub step outside for a fag. This enforced street culture has for some years been evident outside offices and, increasingly, shops. So the good news is that people are already used to the idea.

But if smokers are to become the new children - left on the pub doorstep while non-smokers continue to enjoy themselves inside - it is definitely in your interests to make your outdoor areas, whether it's a beer garden, yard or the pavement, as comfortable as possible.

Patio heaters are already enjoying a boom and if the smoke ban happens - and there is still a fight to be had, remember - they will become even more popular.

But as Calor's Rachel Hodge points out you don't have to wait (click here to find out more). Of course, she has an interest. But it's true that publicans these days have to use every resource available to them to the maximum and that includes outdoor areas.

If you haven't a garden...

Not every pub has got a beer garden of course but most, even in cities, have some space, even if it's no more than an alleyway, a back yard or a forecourt. In the event of a smoking ban these will have to come into play. But how about using them now?

Britons may be acquiring continental al fresco habits when it comes to eating and drinking but the climate hasn't quite caught up with the social trend. Even in summer it turns nippy at night. So if you really want to exploit your outdoor space you need to invest in more than a couple of bench tables.

Patio heaters come in a huge variety of styles now. Calor, for instance, offers adjustable heat and height controls and various safety features. It warns, however, that gas heaters should not be used under umbrellas, awnings and unvented tents and gazebos. Electric heaters are an alternative here.

More pubs have learned to adapt their gardens to erratic British weather. It's possible, using canvas, to create completely enclosed rooms outdoors during the chillier months then wind it all away when summer comes.

That, at least, will reduce the seasonality of your business and help maintain a similar level of trade all year round.

And if you want to extend use of your outdoors into the autumn and beyond, it's also worthwhile to put some work in on the flora. Winter plantings, which should be made around this time of year, can give your garden and exterior of the pub with a splash of colour in the drabber months, giving your business an extra point of attraction.

So remember, gardens aren't just for summer...