Stretch Tents for Pubs & Restaurants: Make More of Your Outdoor Space

For pubs and restaurants, outdoor space can be incredibly valuable. A well-designed garden, courtyard or terrace can increase capacity, create a completely different dining experience and give customers another reason to visit.

The problem? The British weather doesn’t always cooperate.

A stretch tent can transform an exposed outdoor area into a practical, inviting space that can be used for dining, drinks, events and seasonal experiences, without losing the feeling of being outdoors.

Creating a covered outdoor dinings area at The Barley Mow Inn.

We recently installed a stretch tent at The Barley Mow Inn near Wimborne as part of the pub’s major refurbishment.

The renovation has transformed both the inside and outside of the pub, including the creation of a covered garden terrace designed to provide a versatile dining area throughout the year.

The new stretch tent gives the pub much more than shelter for its outside tables. The space is also planned to host themed events, including summer pop-ups and a winter alpine bar, demonstrating just how versatile an outdoor hospitality space can become.

It’s a great example of how pubs and restaurants can look beyond traditional outdoor seating and make their outside areas work harder for the business.

Read the article about it here

More covers, more usable space

Outdoor tables are fantastic when the sun is shining, but without adequate shelter their usefulness can quickly disappear when the weather changes.

Adding a stretch tent creates a covered area where customers can comfortably sit, eat and drink while still enjoying the atmosphere of the garden or terrace.

Depending on the installation and configuration, a stretch tent can provide shelter from rain as well as valuable shade on hot summer days.

For hospitality businesses where every table matters, that can make a significant difference to how effectively an outdoor area is used.

Designed for hospitality spaces

One of the biggest advantages of a stretch tent is its flexibility.

Pub gardens and restaurant terraces aren’t always convenient rectangular spaces. There may be trees, existing landscaping, pathways, walls or changes in level to work around.

Stretch tents can be configured in different ways to complement the available space rather than making the site fit around a rigid structure.

The result is a covered area that feels integrated into the venue rather than simply added onto it.

From summer beer garden to winter events

A covered outdoor area can also open up new opportunities beyond everyday dining.

During summer, it could become a relaxed beer garden, outdoor restaurant or space for live music and pop-up events. As the seasons change, the same area could be transformed for autumn gatherings, Christmas events or a winter bar concept.

Lighting, furniture, planting, signage and seasonal styling can all change the character of the space without changing the structure itself.

The Barley Mow is a great example. Their plans to use the stretch tent for both summer pop-ups and a winter alpine bar show how one installation can support very different experiences throughout the year.

Creating an experience, not just adding cover

There’s also an important aesthetic difference between simply covering some tables and creating somewhere customers actively want to spend time.

The sweeping lines and open sides of a stretch tent help retain the atmosphere of outdoor dining while creating a distinctive space within the venue.

Add festoon lighting, comfortable furniture, planting or your own branding and the covered area can become a destination in its own right.

For pubs, bars, hotels and restaurants looking to make more of their outdoor space, that can help turn an underused garden or terrace into a valuable extension of the venue.

Stretch tents for pubs, restaurants and hospitality venues

At The Stretch Tent Company, we create stretch tent installations for hospitality venues across the UK, with different sizes and configurations available to suit the space.

Whether you’re looking to cover an existing restaurant terrace, increase the capacity of a pub garden or create a dedicated space for seasonal events, we can help design a solution around your venue.

If you’ve got an outdoor space that could be working harder for your business, talk to our team about what’s possible.