Your Complete Guide To Bistro Awnings

Your bistro’s exterior is the calling card of your business, it needs to both invite and protect your customers – rain, hail or shine.  

The right bistro awning for you means optimising space and boosting aesthetic appeal. But before you get ahead of yourself, there are some factors to consider before you take the leap. Here is your complete guide to bistro awnings and how to choose one.  

How to Choose the Best Bistro Awnings  

Bistro awnings not only extend your seating area but also directly impacts your revenue as a result. Here are a few keys factors to consider to ensure you get what’s best for your business:  

• Type of awning 
• Fabric materials  
• Adherence to compliance measures  
• Awning size  

Bistro awnings serve many purposes from shading, privacy, glare control or weather protection. Whatever the purpose, be sure to find a reputable supplier who can custom your awning to match the decor as well as provide a selection of colours, features and automation options. In the meantime, here are a few factors to help get you started:  

What Type of Bistro Awning is Best? 

Bistro awnings need to be able to draw your customers into your space as well as serve a functional purpose. Retractable awnings provide optimal protection within a flexible and easily adjustable design that is convenient for both staff and patrons during its operation. This not only gives you more control over imposing heat and light, but it also ensures your outdoor bistro area and your customers are well looked after in all conditions.  

Here are some popular retractable awnings well-suited for protecting outdoor bistro areas:  

Full Cassette 

The full-cassette offers the best of both worlds: maximum protection and a smooth, stylish design to suit any bistro facade. The Helioscreen Cassette fully encloses the fabric and mechanisms of the awning when not in use, securing it in place until it is ready for use again. The enclosure protects the fabric from dirt, salt, and erosion from the elements, extending the lifetime of the awning.  

It has a specially developed Mutliflex power band consisting of four tear-resistant steel cables with flexible plastic material to protect against corrosion. This ensures adequate tension of the awning while allowing flexibility during windy conditions. It also has an installation angle between 5 – 40 ° and comes in over 120 fabric and frame colours.  

Helioscreen Classic 

The Helioscreen Classic is an open style awning, meaning all components and parts are visible. The fabric roller remains exposed, which means it is well-suited for installation to the underside of a slab or existing structure.   

With all components manufactured using chromatised aluminium parts and marine-grade screws and nuts, the Helioscreen Classic range is also extremely resistant to corrosion. It also has an installation angle between 5 – 45 ° and comes in over 120 fabric and frame colours.  

This awning encompasses durability and strength in a cost-effective design, making it a popular choice for cafe’s and bistro’s alike.  

Rubix Cassette 

The Rubix Cassette features a square-encased cassette awning designed to be mounted on a flat surface. Perfect for geometric and modernised buildings, the Rubix Cassette includes a rectangular design for seamless integration on a range of bistro facades.  

The Rubix Cassette uses the Multiflex 4-cable arm system to ensure an extended lifespan. Suitable for tough Australian conditions, the arm system ensures durability tautness of the fabric with daily, extensive and heavy use. It also has an installation angle between 5 – 40 ° and comes in over 100 fabric and frame colours.  

Helioscreen supplies a wide range of retractable awnings custom made to enhance any commercial building to meet your business needs.  

Don’t Skimp on the Fabric

Your fabric is the centrepiece of your bistro awning – it needs to be durable as well as feel and look luxurious. It’s important to choose a material that is both easily maintainable and able to withstand tough Australian conditions. If you’re beginning to think about the ideal fabric for your awning, you may want to consider opting for fabric that can provide the following:   

• UV resistance  
• Light and heat control  
• Water-resistance  
• Easy to clean  
• Anti-fungal  
• Fire-retardant  

When it’s time to choose your fabric colour, ensure you choose a supplier that can offer a range of patterns and colours to be customised to your bistro exterior.  

Ensure You Follow Compliance Measures 

Making any adjustments or additions to the external facade of the building needs the approval of either the landlord or the council. You must ensure you adhere to any compliance measures set out either by your local council or within the bounds of your commercial lease.  

 You may need to check the property zoning of the building to ensure that any kind of development made to the structure is allowed – with or without approval. It’s also a good idea to check with your landlord concerning any additions made to the facade of the building.  

 Other considerations may include the installation process, if you need to alert any neighbouring shopfronts and if it will create any noise pollution. You will also want to plan with your installation team a suitable time to install the awning to minimise the disruption of the bistro’s day-to-day operations.  

Size Matters! 

Awning size is a reflection of your outdoor space, your budget and the intended purpose. Whether you only have a small courtyard to cover or want to protect a large alfresco dining area, the size will depend on the following factors:  

 The direction of the building: Believe it or not, the direction your bistro is facing will affect the projection extension of the awning. East or west-facing exposure will likely mean a 3m projection, however, north-or south-facing buildings may need between 3.5m – 4m to provide adequate shade.  

 Measurements: The awning size is measurable in width, projection and pitch – in other words, how much space is the awning going to take up. This will also likely dictate what type of awning will best suit your bistro space.  

Choose Australia’s Quality Retractable Awning Supplier

The right bistro awning makes a more comfortable experience for customers and brings life to your building exterior. It’s an investment designed to increase revenue and expand the functionality of your outdoor bistro space.  

It’s important to prioritise a durable and functional retractable awning that will provide a long-lasting shade solution custom made to any commercial outdoor area. Helioscreen is Australia’s leading supplier of retractable awnings for a variety of commercial buildings. Contact us for more information.