Last
reviewed: July 2026 · Reviewed by: Craven Cooling sales team · 01792 732702
Fitting Out a Beer Garden or Café Terrace
Outdoor covers are
the cheapest seats a pub or café will ever add — no rent, no build cost, just furniture, heat and a way to serve.
Four numbers decide whether the space earns: covers per square metre (allow ~1.0–1.5m² per cover, so a 60m² garden
seats roughly 40–60), furniture that survives a British winter, patio heat rated to your exposure (2.0–2.5kW covers
roughly 6–9m²), and a serving point close enough that staff are not walking pints 40 metres. This guide works through
capacity, furniture, heating, outdoor bar refrigeration, power, drainage, ice supply, and the licensing and noise
conditions that cap how late the garden trades.
- Covers per m²: allow ~1.0–1.5m² per cover once you count circulation, so a
60m² usable area seats roughly 40–60. Tight café-bar standing works closer to 0.75m². - Bench maths: a 1830mm (6ft) picnic bench seats ~8 per table — or 6 in
comfort. Pitch tables on a ~2.0–2.2m grid so servers and customers can pass. - Furniture material: weatherproof HDPE and aluminium stay out year-round and
wipe clean; wood needs annual oiling; untreated steel rusts. Fold-flat tops cut winter storage by more than
half. - Patio heating coverage: a 2.0–2.5kW heater warms roughly
6–9m². Electric infrared at 2kW costs ~£0.54/hour at
£0.27/kWh. - LPG vs electric: LPG heaters are portable and off-grid but bring 13kg/19kg cylinder handling
and COSHH duties; electric infrared needs IP-rated wiring and an RCD but no cylinder swaps. - Outdoor bar refrigeration: bottle coolers, back-bar fridges and keg coolers hold beer at
3–5°C — spec them for the ambient they will see, since a sunny terrace can push a cabinet past its climate
class. - Ice: budget ~0.5–1kg of ice per cover per session in summer; without a
machine or well-stocked bin an outdoor bar runs dry by 3pm on the first hot Saturday. - Verified furniture prices: Bolero 1830mm centre-folding bench £47.58 + VAT,
HDPE 3ft square folding table £70.84 + VAT, 6ft rectangular folding table
£87.76 + VAT. Heaters and bar fridges sourced to specification — POA.
A beer garden or café terrace is the highest-return square footage most hospitality operators own, yet it is
routinely fitted out on impulse — cheap tables, gas heaters on the first warm day, drinks ferried from an indoor bar
— until the furniture warps and the walk to the bar caps turnover. This guide is for the trade buyer fitting a space
out properly. Browse the full Craven Cooling
range when ready to spec.
Table
of Contents
- Decision 1: Covers & Capacity per m²
- Decision 2: Furniture Material — HDPE vs Wood vs Steel
- Decision 3: Patio Heating — LPG vs Electric Infrared
- Decision 4: Outdoor Bar Refrigeration & Keg Cooling
- Decision 5: Power, Drainage & Ice Supply
- Decision 6: Licensing & Noise Considerations
- UK Price Tiers — July 2026
- Outdoor Furniture We Stock
- Covers-per-m² Worked Example
- Beer Garden Fit-Out Checklist
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Buying Guides
Per cover for relaxed outdoor dining — plan from usable area, not total
Adults per 1830mm (6ft) picnic bench — the fastest covers per pound spent
+ VAT — Bolero 1830mm centre-folding picnic bench, stocked
A garden cover carries no rent and no build cost, so every sale served outside drops more
to the bottom line than the same one indoors. But an unheated, exposed terrace trades only a handful of warm
weeks, and a serving point 40 metres away caps how many rounds staff turn. Spend on weatherproof furniture,
right-sized heat and a near serving point, and the space earns nine months instead of three.
per kWh — average UK non-domestic electricity rate used throughout this guide
Decision 1: Covers & Capacity per m²
Capacity is the first thing operators overestimate. A garden that looks like it “must seat 80” often seats 50 once
you leave room to serve. Plan from usable area — footprint minus planters, bin stores, the smoking
area and access routes — not the boundary fence.
As a working rule, allow ~1.0–1.5m² per cover for relaxed terrace dining and drinking — the lower
end for café-bar layouts, the upper end for restaurant-style dining with elbow room. Tighter still — around 0.75m² —
is only realistic for high-turnover standing or perch seating.
| Layout style | Area per cover | Covers in a 60m² usable garden | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standing / perch café-bar | ~0.75m² | ~80 | Wet-led city bars, quick turnover |
| Mixed drinking & casual dining | ~1.0–1.2m² | ~50–60 | Pubs, café terraces, most gardens |
| Restaurant-style terrace dining | ~1.3–1.5m² | ~40–46 | Food-led venues, table service |
| Picnic-bench banquet rows | ~1.0m² (bench-dense) | ~56–64 | Beer gardens, festivals, high-volume |
call it 6 in comfort. Set benches in rows on a ~2.0–2.2m grid so a server and a customer can pass.
That gives roughly one bench-table (8 covers) per ~7–8m² including circulation — more covers per
pound than any loose table-and-chair scheme.
Do not fill every square metre. Leave a clear route to the bar and toilets, keep a fire/egress path unobstructed,
and give at least one accessible table with wheelchair clearance (850–900mm of approach). Mixing 6ft tables with
two-tops uses the space better than a single size.
Decision 2: Furniture Material — HDPE vs Wood vs Steel
Outdoor furniture lives a harder life than anything indoors: rain, frost, UV, spilled drinks and daily dragging
across paving. The material decides how much of the year it survives and how soon you buy again.
| Material | Weather resistance | Maintenance | Winter storage | Typical lifespan outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HDPE (high-density polyethylene) | Excellent — UV-stable, rot-proof, wipe-clean | Minimal — hose or wipe | Fold-flat tops stack tight | ~7–10 years |
| Aluminium / powder-coated | Excellent — won’t rust, lightweight | Low — occasional wipe | Stackable; light to move | ~8–12 years |
| Treated hardwood | Good if maintained | High — annual oiling/re-coat | Heavy; benches bulky | ~5–8 years with care |
| Steel (galvanised/coated) | Good if coating intact | Medium — treat chips fast | Heavy; stackable if designed | ~6–10 years; rusts once chipped |
| Untreated softwood / raw steel | Poor — warps, splits or rusts | Very high | Bulky | ~2–4 years |
plastic used for outdoor play equipment and food crates. It does not rot, rust, splinter or absorb spilled drink,
wipes clean between covers, and Bolero’s HDPE folding tables fold flat for compact storage.
HDPE Folding Tables
From £70.84 + VAT
- Wipe-clean, rot-proof, UV-stable
- Fold flat for compact winter storage
- Bolero 3ft square and 6ft rectangular stocked
Picnic Benches
From £47.58 + VAT
- Table + two bench seats in one unit
- ~8 covers per 1830mm bench
- Bolero centre-folding for easier storage
Aluminium Sets
We stock or source — POA
- Rust-proof, lightweight, stackable
- Smart look for café frontages, hotels
- Sourced to your finish and size
Parasols & Bases
We stock or source — POA
- Shade in summer, cover in showers
- Weighted or ground-socket bases
- Specify size to your table grid
Whatever the material, factor storage before quantity. Fold-flat tops and centre-folding benches stack against a
cellar wall, and weatherproof HDPE and aluminium can stay out year-round where wood cannot.
Decision 3: Patio Heating — LPG vs Electric Infrared
Heat turns an outdoor space from a three-week amenity into a nine-month revenue line. The two mainstream trade
options — LPG gas heaters and electric infrared — solve the same problem differently; the choice depends on how your
garden is powered and how sheltered it is.
As a coverage rule, a 2.0–2.5kW heater warms roughly 6–9m² of exposed seating —
one heater per bench-table or cluster of small tables. Wind is the enemy of all patio heat: a sheltered corner holds
warmth far better than an open terrace, so shelter is worth more than raw wattage.
| Factor | LPG gas heater | Electric infrared |
|---|---|---|
| Install | None — portable, off-grid | IP-rated outdoor wiring + RCD needed |
| Heat feel | Warms air around the unit | Directional radiant heat onto people |
| Wind tolerance | Poor — flame and warm air blow away | Better — radiant heat less wind-affected |
| Running cost | Cylinder gas — varies with LPG price | ~£0.54/hour at 2kW & £0.27/kWh |
| Handling / safety | 13kg/19kg cylinder swaps; COSHH storage | No cylinders; switch on and off |
| Best for | Gardens with no power run; flexible siting | Fixed terraces, canopies, wall/post mounts |
Electric infrared running cost is simple: a 2kW heater draws 2 units an hour, so at £0.27/kWh it costs about
£0.54 per hour — roughly £2.70 for a five-hour evening per heater, trivial against
the covers heat keeps in their seats. LPG tracks the live cylinder price but buys portability and no wiring.
Bottled LPG is a hazardous substance. Cylinders — in use, full and empty — must be stored outdoors, upright and
secured, away from drains, cellars, ignition sources and escape routes. Under COSHH, risk-assess handling and
storage and train staff on cylinder changes. Never use LPG heaters indoors or under an enclosed canopy without
ventilation — the risk is carbon monoxide and gas build-up. If a garden has power, electric infrared sidesteps
cylinder handling.
Whichever route you take, patio heating is a category we stock or source. Browse the outdoor furniture & heating category or call with your layout for a quote.
Decision 4: Outdoor Bar Refrigeration & Keg Cooling
The single biggest lever on outdoor revenue is bringing the serving point to the seats. A garden served from an
indoor bar loses rounds to the walk; an outdoor bar with its own refrigeration turns them over where the customers
are — chilled bottles, cans and glasses on hand, plus keg cooling for draught.
Bottle Coolers
We stock or source — POA
- Under-counter, sliding-door bottle storage
- Holds mixers, bottled beer, cans at 3–5°C
- Sourced to your width and door layout
Back-Bar Fridges
We stock or source — POA
- Glass or solid doors, display or storage
- Fast-access chilled stock at the pour point
- Spec climate class for terrace ambient
Keg Coolers
We stock or source — POA
- Hold kegs at cellar temperature outdoors
- Keeps draught pouring clear in the heat
- Sized to keg count and line run
Glass Frosters
We stock or source — POA
- Chilled glasses for a better pour
- Popular for lager and cocktail service
- Sourced to specification
class 3 (25°C ambient), class 4 (30°C) or class 5 (40°C). A cabinet in a sun-baked garden bar can see 30–35°C, and a
class 3 unit in that heat drifts warm when demand peaks. For any outdoor bar, specify class 4 as a
minimum, keep it out of direct sun, and give the condenser breathing room.
Outdoor and bar refrigeration is a category we stock or source — the right cabinet depends on bar
dimensions, doors, keg count and the ambient it will face. Browse the bar fridges & bottle coolers category or call with your outdoor bar plan.
Tell us the counter length, door and keg count, and the sunniest ambient the bar will see, and we will spec bottle
coolers, back-bar fridges and keg cooling to match. Call 01792 732702 or email [email protected].
Decision 5: Power, Drainage & Ice Supply
An outdoor bar is a small wet kitchen exposed to the weather. Get power, drainage and ice right at fit-out —
retrofits are dug twice.
Every outdoor circuit feeding fridges, heaters or a bar must be weatherproof (IP-rated enclosures and sockets)
and protected by an RCD — work for a qualified electrician. Plan enough dedicated circuits so a fridge and
heaters don’t trip one another.
A bar produces waste water — glass-washing, ice melt, spillage. Run it to a trapped gully, not across the
paving where customers sit, with a fall so it does not pool. Ice bins and wells trickle meltwater that must
drain.
Budget roughly 0.5–1kg of ice per cover per session in warm weather — so 150 covers on a hot
Saturday can get through 100kg-plus in a day. Run an ice machine sized to that draw with buffer storage, or
plan bulk ice bins topped from an indoor machine — a bar that runs out at 3pm stops selling long drinks.
Any point serving food or drink needs hand-washing facilities. Build in a basin with hot water where you can,
and keep chilled stock at 3–5°C — the heat that makes the garden trade also pushes drink and food out of safe
temperature.
Trailing cables and hoses across a busy terrace are a trip hazard. Bury permanent runs or use cable ramps and
clip along walls — plan the routes before the furniture goes down.
We stock or source ice machines sized to daily demand. Browse the ice machines category or tell us your covers and drink mix.
Weatherproof outdoor power circuits must be installed and certified by a qualified electrician, and any fixed LPG
or mains gas work by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Water, metal furniture, weather and public access make an
outdoor bar one of the higher-risk installations on the premises.
Decision 6: Licensing & Noise Considerations
The furniture and fridges are the easy part; what quietly caps a garden’s earnings is the paperwork and the
neighbours. Before committing to hours, capacity and layout, understand the licensing conditions on your outdoor
area and the noise realities.
Your premises licence defines where you may sell alcohol and the hours, and outdoor areas are not
automatically included — many carry an outdoor cut-off earlier than indoor hours. Read the licence and its plan
first; if the outdoor area or later hours are not covered, that is a variation to your licensing authority.
Licensing and fire-safety conditions can set a maximum capacity and require clear escape routes. Lay furniture
out so egress paths stay clear and the stated capacity is not exceeded.
Outdoor noise carries, and resident complaints are the commonest reason gardens get their hours cut. Manage it
proactively: signage asking customers to leave quietly, earlier last orders outside, amplified music kept low,
and clearing the garden in stages.
If part of the garden is the smoking area it must meet the smoke-free rules (a substantially open shelter, not
an enclosed room). New fixed structures or changes of use can also engage planning and additional consents —
check locally.
The venues that get the most out of outdoor space plan capacity, layout, heating and serving around the licence
conditions and the neighbours from day one. Keep egress clear, noise managed and chilled stock at safe temperature.
Confirm the specifics with your licensing authority.
UK Price Tiers — July 2026
£47.58 + VAT
Bolero centre-folding bench Y817 — stocked, ~8 covers per unit
£70.84 + VAT
Bolero square folding table white Y807 — stocked, seats 4
£87.76 + VAT
Bolero rectangular folding table white UU579 — stocked, seats 6
POA
Patio heaters, bottle coolers and keg cooling sourced to specification — call
Outdoor Furniture We Stock
Three Bolero outdoor tables and benches in stock, July 2026, prices + VAT. See our picnic benches & tables range and café/restaurant tables range.
+ VAT — Craven Cooling price
Best covers per pound
- 1830mm (6ft) table with two bench seats
- Seats ~8 adults — beer-garden staple
- Centre-folds for easier winter storage
The fastest way to add covers to a beer garden — seats up to eight and folds down for the
off-season.
+ VAT — Craven Cooling price
Wipe-clean HDPE
- 3ft (900mm) square HDPE top, seats 4
- Rot-proof, UV-stable, wipe-clean surface
- Folds flat — ideal for café terraces
A weatherproof four-seat table for café frontages and terraces — the HDPE top shrugs off
rain and wipes clean between covers.
+ VAT — Craven Cooling price
Group & function seating
- 6ft (1830mm) rectangular top, seats 6
- Folds flat for storage and transport
- Efficient in banquet rows on a grid
A six-seat folding table for groups, functions and banquet-row layouts — rows of these pack
covers in efficiently and store flat.
Craven Cooling stocks or sources patio heaters, bottle coolers, back-bar fridges, keg cooling, glass frosters and
ice machines. Call 01792 732702 or email [email protected] with your layout and drink mix.
Covers-per-m² Worked Example
A pub fitting out a 60m² usable beer garden for mixed drinking and dining, using Bolero picnic benches for the bulk
of covers with a few HDPE tables.
£285.48 + VAT
£141.68 + VAT
at £0.27/kWh
The lesson: the seating is cheap. Under £430 + VAT of stocked benches and tables fills a 60m² garden. The real spend
goes on heating, the serving point and its refrigeration — where the return is.
A garden fitted out with furniture alone trades a handful of warm weeks and loses rounds to the walk indoors. Skip
the heat and outdoor serving point, and the space sits empty on the cool evenings and busy lunchtimes that make
outdoor covers worth having.
Beer Garden Fit-Out Checklist
Ten minutes here prevents the classic mistakes: capacity guessed from the fence, furniture that dies in one winter,
and a bar with nowhere to plug in.
-
Usable area measured and capacity planned at ~1.0–1.5m² per cover
Subtract planters, bins, access routes and the smoking area first, and lay the grid out on paper before you
buy. -
Weatherproof furniture chosen — HDPE or aluminium for year-round
Wood needs annual oiling and dry storage; untreated softwood and raw steel do not last. -
Heating specced to exposure — LPG or electric decided
One 2.0–2.5kW heater per 6–9m². Electric infrared needs IP-rated wiring and an RCD; LPG needs cylinder handling
and COSHH storage. -
Serving point and refrigeration planned near the seats
Bottle coolers, back-bar fridge and keg cooling specced for the ambient the bar will see — class 4 minimum
outdoors. -
Power, drainage and ice designed in — not retrofitted
IP-rated sockets on their own RCD, waste drained away from seating, and ice at ~0.5–1kg per cover per session.
Electrics and gas by qualified/Gas Safe trades. -
Licence conditions for the outdoor area checked
Confirm the premises licence covers outdoor sales and hours, any cut-off, and any capacity or egress conditions.
Vary the licence if the garden is not covered. -
Noise management plan agreed with neighbours in mind
Earlier last orders outside, signage to leave quietly, music kept low, staged clear-down. -
Storage and off-season plan sorted
Fold-flat designs stack against a cellar wall; HDPE and aluminium can stay out if secured against wind.
Fitting out a beer garden or café terrace comes down to six decisions. Capacity: plan from usable area at
~1.0–1.5m² per cover, so a 60m² garden seats roughly 40–60, and a 1830mm picnic bench seats ~8. Furniture:
weatherproof HDPE and aluminium stay out year-round and wipe clean, while untreated softwood or raw steel does not
last. Heating: one 2.0–2.5kW heater per 6–9m², choosing LPG (portable, but COSHH cylinder handling) or electric
infrared (IP-rated wiring and an RCD, ~£0.54/hour at 2kW and £0.27/kWh). Refrigeration: bottle coolers, back-bar
fridges and keg cooling at class 4 minimum for the sun-baked ambient a garden bar sees. Services: IP-rated sockets
on their own RCD, drainage away from seating, and ice at ~0.5–1kg per cover per session. Licensing and noise:
confirm the outdoor area and hours on your premises licence, keep egress clear, and manage noise to keep your
hours. Craven Cooling stocks Bolero outdoor furniture (1830mm centre-folding bench £47.58 + VAT, HDPE 3ft folding
table £70.84 + VAT, 6ft folding table £87.76 + VAT) and sources patio heating, bar refrigeration, keg cooling and
ice machines to specification — POA. Call 01792 732702 or visit the Swansea showroom.
Frequently Asked Questions
▼
roughly 1.0–1.5m² per cover, so a 60m² usable garden seats about 40–60. Tight café-bar or standing layouts work
closer to 0.75m², and picnic-bench banquet rows pack in at around one 8-seat bench per 7–8m² including circulation.
Always leave clear routes to the bar and toilets and a fire-egress path.
▼
UV-stable, rot- and rust-proof, wipe-clean and able to stay outside year-round, and HDPE folding tops such as the
Bolero range fold flat for compact winter storage. Treated hardwood needs annual oiling and dry storage; untreated
softwood and raw steel warp or rust within a couple of seasons.
▼
storage duties and poor performance in wind. Electric infrared gives directional radiant heat, copes better with
wind and has no cylinders, but needs IP-rated outdoor wiring and an RCD — a 2kW unit costs about £0.54 an hour at
£0.27/kWh. Allow one 2.0–2.5kW heater per 6–9m² of seating, and remember shelter beats raw wattage.
▼
you dispense draught outside, and optionally a glass froster. The key point is climate class — a sun-baked garden
bar can see 30–35°C, so specify class 4 as a minimum, keep the cabinet out of direct sun and give the condenser
room to breathe. Under-specced refrigeration is the commonest reason a garden bar cannot keep up on hot afternoons.
▼
garden turning 150 covers on a hot Saturday can get through 100kg-plus of ice in a day. Either run an ice machine
sized to that daily draw with buffer storage, or plan bulk ice bins topped up from an indoor machine. A bar that
runs dry mid-afternoon stops selling long drinks exactly when demand peaks.
▼
protected by an RCD, installed and certified by a qualified electrician, with enough dedicated circuits that a
fridge and heaters do not trip one another. Waste water from glass-washing and ice melt must drain to a trapped
gully away from seating, with a fall so it does not pool. Fixed gas work needs a Gas Safe engineer. Design services
at fit-out, not as a retrofit.
▼
included — many licences carry specific conditions on the beer garden or terrace, often with an outdoor cut-off
earlier than the indoor hours, plus capacity and egress conditions. Read the licence and its plan before planning
hours and layout; if the outdoor area or later hours are not covered, that is a variation to your local licensing
authority. Conditions vary by premises, so confirm locally.
▼
3ft square folding table (£70.84 + VAT) and the 6ft rectangular folding table (£87.76 + VAT) — and sources patio
heating and outdoor bar refrigeration to specification. With a Swansea showroom for live
demonstration, and stocked lines carry a 2-year parts warranty for the UK and Ireland. Call 01792 732702 or email
[email protected].
