![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/ottawainsight\/wp-content\/uploads\/patio-W11-photo11.jpg\" "\\"Byward")
<\/a><\/p>\nOttawa’s historic Byward Market is home to more than 100 places to eat and drink.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s good news for bars and licensed restaurants that benefit from good weather in the summer months as well as peaks in tourism. The city of Ottawa hosts an average of 7.8 million person visits each year \u2013 generating more than $2.64 billion into the food and beverage sector of the nation\u2019s capital in 2008.<\/p>\n
But with more than 2, 000 places from which to purchase food \u2013 and more than 100 places to eat and drink in the downtown Byward Market alone \u2013 restaurants and bars must find ways to attract the business not just of tourists, but of locals too.<\/p>\n
Sunshine in Summertime<\/p>\n
Jantine Von Kregten, director of communications at Ottawa Tourism, says that a great strategy is to let potential customers know up front what you offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople like being able to gauge what they can expect from an establishment without having to commit,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
And one of the best ways to do this in the summer is a patio.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn summertime, everyone wants to be seen and everyone wants to be outdoors,\u201d says Erik Lafreniere, general manager of Lonestar Texas Grill in the Market.<\/p>\n
Since the location opened in 2006, it has added a patio open between May and October. In a neighbourhood where space is at a premium, Lonestar\u2019s patio acts as a second restaurant and double the space means double the number of customers that can be served.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the weather is nice, that can mean a lot more money for us,\u201d says Lafreniere.<\/p>\n
Gabi Chung, a server at Mexicali Rosa\u2019s on suburban Hunt Club Road, adds that even restaurant patios in areas without a lot of pedestrian traffic can increase business.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople like to people watch,\u201d she says. \u201cAt any restaurant, booths by the window are the prime tables, so it\u2019s no surprise more people want to sit outside if they can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weather Woes<\/p>\n
But like any outdoor venue, there are risks in betting on patios for a restaurant\u2019s success \u2013 the most obvious being weather.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf no one can sit on the patio because it rains Friday, Saturday, Sunday,\u201d says Lafreniere; \u201cI just have to accept that that\u2019s money lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lonestar rents its patio space on a monthly basis from the City and must pay for every square foot \u2013 regardless of how often that space is occupied by customers. The restaurant also pays a monthly fee for expanding its liquor license for five months of the year.<\/p>\n