Anywhere that customers might feel a slight chill (or a bone-chilling freeze), both indoor and outdoor heaters for restaurants are a good investment for a dining establishment. Outdoor restaurant patio heaters provide warmth in that off-season where the air is just slightly cooler than comfortable, and efficient indoor restaurant heater models can keep a kitchen busy all year round.

For training on these neat little devices, staff members of restaurants and other businesses can attend formal education courses, or get a variety of training tips for the web. Some of the training that can be found easily online includes:

1. Links to restaurant heaters training, suppliers of restaurant heater models, and more info from restaurant associations.

2. More on restaurant heater options from independent blogs and info sites.

3. Tips and tricks from current restaurant owners and managers at public forums where businesses discuss restaurant heater use.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find restaurant heater training info from restaurant associations

State or national restaurant associations are a great source of info about how to efficiently heat a restaurant. These sites can provide connections to the suppliers and information a restaurant needs to get into a different kind of temperature zone.

I recommend: State orgs like the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association offer a wide menu of training courses for restaurants, including energy instruction for restaurant heaters as well as ServSafe and other management courses. Or find recommended or new product exhibitors for indoor and outdoor restaurant heaters from the National Restaurant Association's website.

Look for restaurant heaters info from blogs

Another source is continually updated public blogs, where tutorials and other resources can provide insight into using various kinds of stand-alone or networked restaurant portable heaters for use in restaurants and related venues.

I recommend: Get handy restaurant heater tips at Let's Blog Construction, for optimizing the heating units in your restaurant space. Find more on restaurant portable heater devices at Squidoo.

Locate more on restaurant heaters from public forums

When a business wants a street-level look at using tools like restaurant heaters, public web forums are a great source; the threads are populated with postings on the best route to heating and cooling for a commercial space.

I recommend: Check out notes from restaurant owners and managers at the Louisville Restaurant Forum. Get more on general heating and cooling for a restaurant at HVAC-Talk for figuring out the best way to optimize your heating systems, whether it's an integrated system or a set of outdoor stand-alone models.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use your restaurant heaters education and training to your best advantage by continuing to ask questions relevant to your own floor space and situation. Connect with suppliers and ask the kinds of questions that can help them provide the heaters that best support your indoor or outdoor area.

Restaurant patio heaters may seem like an irrelevant part of your business, but you’d be surprised at how heaters for restaurants can keep patrons at an establishment longer and encourage them to keep coming back.

Most people enjoy a nice evening out on a restaurant patio, but they don’t enjoy sitting out in the cold, especially while dining. Outdoor restaurant heaters solve this problem, allowing diners to enjoy the night air while providing enough heat to encourage them to stay through dessert and even longer. This adds up to increased revenue for your business.

Most restaurant patio heaters typically pump out heat using electric, propane or natural gas heating elements. You’ll need to explore suppliers of restaurant heater product lines to determine which type of restaurant patio heater is best for your setup, but most will fall into the following categories:

1. Freestanding heaters for restaurants;

2. Mounted outdoor restaurant heaters;

3. Or tabletop restaurant heaters.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Explore your options for freestanding outdoor restaurant heaters

Probably the most popular restaurant patio heater, freestanding models can be strategically placed to radiate enough heat for an entire patio. Best of all, they are relatively easy to move around if you need more heat in one area over another. Freestanding heaters for restaurants typically are available as propane or natural gas heaters.

I recommend: PatioHeaterStore.com has several freestanding restaurant patio heaters from which to choose, and many are available at a discount. Yardiac also offers competitive prices on its line of freestanding restaurant portable heaters.

Consider mounted restaurant heaters

Ceiling-mounted or wall-mounted restaurant patio heaters are perfect when space is tight or for high-traffic areas. These heaters for restaurants stay out of the way while providing patrons with a nice warm atmosphere.

I recommend: The Patio Experts has several mounted heaters in its line of outdoor restaurant heaters. Solaronics has a line of compact gas infrared heaters that can work indoors or out and are ideal for restaurant patios.

Check out tabletop heaters for restaurants

If your restaurant patio only gets a bit chilly on some nights, consider tabletop restaurant heaters. These models will provide a bit of warmth without overheating guests. They are typically available as propane or electric heaters.

I recommend: Patioheatingplus.com offers tabletop restaurant patio heaters in a variety of decorative styles. EliteDeals.com is another great source for tabletop restaurant portable heaters.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Heaters use the British Thermal Units, or BTUs rating system. The number of BTUs determines how much heat the unit can generate each hour. Research how many BTUs would be best for your restaurant heaters, keeping in mind the climate and size of your space. Keep energy efficiency in mind, but also choose one that will sufficiently heat up your space - and keep it warm.

Restaurant heaters can keep a restaurant perfectly climate-controlled, delighting both the staff and the patrons. Since the weather outside can be more difficult to manage, many restaurants are improved through the use of outdoor restaurant heaters. The key terms and concepts present in this industry are varied, but restaurants and interested parties can improve their ability to navigate this trade by becoming familiar with popular terms, including the following:

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Freestanding heaters

Freestanding restaurant heaters are extremely popular among those who utilize outdoor heating models. These units can be placed and moved multiple times with comparable ease in order to create the ideal outdoor climate. In most instances, these outdoor restaurant heating models are powered by propane or natural gas.

I recommend: The benefits and features of the Dynamic Cooking System freestanding restaurant heater are explored at ACityDiscount.com.

Mounted restaurant heaters

Restaurant heaters that can be mounted are installed into a specific area of the restaurant where heating is most needed. For the most part, these heaters are ceiling-mounted or wall-mounted. Benefits of these particular restaurant heaters include their inobtrusive nature.

I recommend: A large selection of mounted restaurant heaters can be found at PatioProductsUSA.com. This site also describes the area heated by each model offered.

Tabletop heaters

Tabletop heaters for restaurants are ideal for patrons who want to be close to personalized heat. They are also optimal for restaurants that do not experience a deep chill. For the most part, these models are available powered by propane or electricity.

I recommend: A variety of models, features and benefits of tabletop restaurant heaters are illustrated at Outdoor-Heat.com.

British thermal units

Restaurant heaters use British Thermal Units, which is often abbreviated as BTUs, as their rating system. Such heaters for restaurants are able to display the amount of BTUs-or the amount of heat-the unit is capable of generating in an hour. While restaurants should be mindful of energy efficiency, it is also important to invest in restaurant heaters that will keep the environment comfortable.

I recommend: A BTU calculator can be found at Greenhouses.com.

Natural gas

Natural gas is a fossil fuel that presents itself in a gaseous state and is commonly used for heating purposes. Natural gas primarily consists of methane, but may also include heavier hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane and butane.

I recommend: Many different models of freestanding restaurant heaters that utilize natural gas and propane as fuel are presented at ComfortChannel.com.

Infrared restaurant heaters

Infrared restaurant heaters provide climate control for outdoor settings, but unlike other models, which feature open surfaces with combustion systems, infrared restaurant heaters are in no way affected by the conditions of the environment. The flame of the heaters is completely enclosed in the heater, allowing for optimal efficiency even in the midst of gusts of wind.

I recommend: SpaceRay.com discusses how its infrared restaurant heaters has improved the seating capacity for a restaurant in North Carolina.

Outdoor restaurant heaters are a great way to keep your restaurant patrons comfortable while dining outside. If the nights get chilly, just warm up the restaurant heaters and your guests can continue to enjoy their dining experience outdoors. Your guests are more likely to linger over coffee and desserts if they are comfortable, and that only adds to your bottom line.

Suppliers of restaurant heater equipment know you want something that adds to your décor as it warms your guests. Many of the freestanding and tabletop restaurant patio heater models have burnished metal finishes with a variety of color options. If you choose a permanent patio heater, manufacturers of restaurant heaters design them to be unobtrusive yet efficient. Aside from the style of heater you choose, you need to also decide if you want:

1. Propane gas restaurant heaters.

2. Natural gas restaurant heaters.

3. Electric restaurant heaters.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Pick tabletop restaurant heaters

These restaurant heaters are usually gas, but you can find electric models. Simply place tabletop heaters around your patio dining area, and you can soon have your guests dining in cozy comfort. You can find tabletop restaurant heaters to match any décor.

I recommend: Outdoor Heater World offers heaters for restaurants that run on LP gas. You can either use the small one-pound tanks or you can attach the heater to a larger tank. There are several tabletop restaurant heaters types and styles available at PatioHeatingPlus.com. Some of its models of restaurant patio heaters are electric.

Choose mounted outdoor restaurant heaters

Depending on the model, these heaters attach to either the wall or ceiling. You can find gas and electric models, as well as a large variety of heating elements. You need to consider how much space you plan to heat with this type of outdoor restaurant heaters before you make your purchase. You may want to consider hiring a professional to do the installation, as well.

I recommend: You can find a variety of restaurant outdoor space heaters at Patio Experts. You can find models to permanently mount to ceilings and walls to make the outdoor patio of your restaurant comfortable for your guests in chilly weather. There is also a large selection of mounted outdoor restaurant heater models available from PatioHeaterShoppers.com.

Select freestanding restaurant patio heaters

As restaurant patio heaters become more popular, manufacturers of restaurant heaters are offering more variety in styles of freestanding patio heaters. It's now possible to find heaters that range from simple to elegant in their styling. Most freestanding heaters are gas powered, but you can find electric models as well.

I recommend: You can see a variety of freestanding restaurant patio heater styles at ComfortChannel.com. The restaurant portable heaters available from Max Tool come in a variety of colors.