Restaurants with a garage door for an entryway are all the rage these days, in Sacramento and a lot of other trendy cities aiming for a more outdoor-indoor cultural scene, even in the center of the city. Restaurateurs riding this wave figure they can save money on the entryway while also creating a trendy-looking entrance.
Most who opt for a garage door entrance to a restaurant or café choose aluminum-and-glass models, which offer better visibility to the outdoors, while allowing light into the interior when the door is down. When the weather’s nice, the garage door is easily opened to the outdoors, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor transition
If you’re considering installing an overhead door at your restaurant, do your research carefully, as there are pitfalls, such as these:
- Check your local building codes and zoning laws to make sure a retrofit and installation of an overhead door on your storefront is allowed.
- Before you install the garage door, check the health and safety regulations for outdoor dining to make sure your project complies.
- You have to consider a garage door’s infrastructure when designing this addition; rails and tracks can be unsightly, but with the right attention to design can add a contemporary industrial touch to your restaurant’s décor.
- An ordinary residential garage door may not have the integrity or strength a commercial establishment needs to keep the business secure and clean. Do your research and have a professional in exterior doors for businesses come take a look before you buy anything.
- Don’t forget to update your workplace safety guidelines after you’re finished with the door and opener installation. Train all employees on use and procedures, integrate the new overhead door into emergency exit plans, and make sure it’s on your list of things to maintenance seasonally.
Some designs you may want to consider if you’re set on installing a garage door as the opening to your restaurant: aluminum frames with glass panels, wooden frames with glass panels, or glass panels adhering to hidden aluminum frames. These styles of overhead doors do a good job of helping the restaurateur merge the experience of the restaurant interior with the outdoor patio.
Discuss with your professional garage door installer ways to overcome any or all of these obstacles. The right garage door installation can do wonders for your business’ curb appeal and give your restaurant or café a refreshed and active vibe. But without the right help, it could just as easily go the other way.