If you want to start incorporating tents into your restaurant’s dining experience, you must consider the ideal lighting for your tent. Luckily, we’ve put together a simple guide on how to light your restaurant tent. Gain some inspiration and see for yourself why lighting is such an essential component of restaurant tents.  

Consider the Ambiance You Want To Create

When you start thinking about how you want to light your restaurant tent, you’ll need to consider its size and the number of tables it can fit. But it’s crucial that you also contemplate the sort of ambiance you hope to create with your tent’s lighting. Suppose your eatery is a well-known hot spot for newlyweds and romantic date nights. In this case, you might select a canopy tent for your restaurant and hang modest twinkle lights from the tent’s roof, backing that up with low-lit lanterns on each table.

Or maybe you own a BBQ joint that’s known for its family-friendly atmosphere. In this case, you might want to opt for more lighting in your tent and the surroundings outside your dining area, as it might be safer for any kids who like to play around while their parents eat. Whatever you choose to do, lighting can have a significant impact on your customer’s dining experience. So make sure you pick lighting that reflects your ideal ambiance.

Use Different Types of Lighting

It’s also wise to consider using different kinds of lighting for various aspects of your dining experience. Doing this can improve your restaurant tent’s safety, efficiency, and appeal. Serving an outdoor dining area can come with a list of challenges to overcome, especially if that area is under a tent. Some of the difficulties that can arise are your staff not having a good view of their section and guests, not having the proper illumination to relay orders clearly and efficiently, and running back and forth between poorly lit stations, leading to accidents.

So consider using numerous types of lighting for different things when it comes to the functionality of your tent’s lighting. For instance, instead of just having twinkle lights and lanterns, try adding some outdoor chandeliers to the mix. Using layered lighting to ensure that your wait staff has well-lit service stations is another excellent way to make your tent stylish, safe, and properly illuminated.  

Let Your Lighting Guide Customers

It’s also wise to evaluate the safety and efficiency of your tent’s lighting as it pertains to your customers. Your customers will likely need to move around with ease during their time with you. They might need to get up and go to the bathroom or walk to the bar for a drink. When you’re serving customers outside, all of these relatively simple tasks can become difficult and hazardous if your tent isn’t luminous.

So it’s an excellent idea to provide lighting that helps guide your guests around the dining area and any other places they might need to navigate. You can do this by creating pathways with small garden lights that stick into the ground. You can also ensure that any prominent shrubs or trees are well-lit with string lights, so the areas outside your tent are a little easier to see as well.

Hopefully, scanning a simple guide on how to light your restaurant tent provides some inspiration and insight into how lighting can enhance each aspect of the dining experience you create under your tent.