African Thatch Smoking Shelters..... Not a Glass Bus Shelter!!

With the smoking regulations now in force, many pubs, restaurants and hotels unable to provide separate outdoor smoking shelters stand to lose a large amount of revenue. The introduction of the smoking legislation is the biggest change to the pub industry for more than 20 years. Customers who cannot now smoke inside are forced outside or, even worse, they decide to stay at home to smoke, eat and drink with their friends.

Customers are very knowledgeable and very smart. They expect to be treated well – if they are not then they will simply move on. Installing an attractive and comfortable outdoor smoking shelter is essential for any hospitality business. I am sure that you are more than aware that many of your clientele, especially young professionals (the ones who spend more money), tend to smoke. Research indicates that before the smoking guidelines were introduced, the vast majority of people who visited pubs were in fact smokers.

Approximately 75% of the UK population does not smoke. Of this larger percentage it is argued that these people will be tempted to frequent pubs once they become smoke free. The smoking ban may indeed encourage new custom from people who were previously put off by the `smoky pub`, but will this gain totally outweigh the loss from excluding smokers from your establishment. The largest amount of revenue is likely tocome from regular smokers or social smokers, who visit pubs to have a few drinks and a cigarette or two. You should also consider that non smoking customers may be accompanied by their smoking friends. Ideally to stoplosing any business you should try to keep everyone happy by providing smokers with an outdoor sheltered smoking canopy or area where they can go outside.

As the smoking ban has been in effect since July 2007, analysts have had some time to access its impact. Recent research indicates that turnover from drink and amusement machines has fallen but that income from food sales has risen. It is the issue of food related sales that gives the pub industry hope for the long term. Serving food is the obvious way to get more people to visit your establishment. However one of the lessons learnt (from Scotland where the legislation has been in place for some considerable time) is that some pubs concentrated too hard on the food side and neglected the drinks side of the business.

The right balance is crucial to ensure a profitable establishment. Ideally those pubs who do not sell food, should explore the possibility of offering food to attract new custom and also ensure that there is a suitable outdoor smoking area for smokers to enjoy a drink and to smoke. Many of our clients have taken advantage of the situation by offering both indoor and outdoor drinking and eating areas to catch all segments of the market.

With the introduction of the smoking regulations there has never been a better time to take advantage of the great outdoors. Preparing for the ban need not cost the earth. In most cases a "smoking solution" can cost from just a few thousand pounds. This investment will be recouped very quickly once your customers are aware of the additional benefits you are providing.

Our policy is very straight forward; we are a supplier of high quality wooden long lasting outdoor thatched structures at a more than reasonable price. Each timber structure has been specifically designed to actually enhance the look of your establishment. A common response by landlords is that they do not want to erect a glass, metal or tarpaulin design outdoor smoking shelter. Just take a minute to reflect – If you were a smoker would you really want to smoke outside in a bland and cold looking glass and metal bus stop or a flimsy tarpaulin smoking canopy that is unlikely to last more than one winter. These types of smoking shelters will certainly not inspire people. Creativity is the key - customers will look for something inviting and different. If you are looking for something different ...something new… something that will not only retain your existing customers, but will also attract new customers then you should seriously consider using our unique African thatched outdoor timber smoking shelters.

The benefit of a thatched timber smoking shelter is its attractive and natural appearance that blends into any surrounding garden environment. Our unique African thatched wooden gazebos and timber structures have already been installed in pub gardens and outside many restaurants and hotels around the UK.. Most clients were looking for a 'bespoke' solution that would add value to their establishment. Our customers have been inspired by their unique and inviting appearance for both outdoor smoking shelters and outdoor eating areas. Our unique thatched timber structures can be utilised to provide the perfect smoking shelter, providing a comfortable, attractive and welcoming area for your customers or clients to enjoy a cigarette. We have turned unprofitable outdoor spaces into attractive and profitable retail areas. The African Thatch Company has helped to establish new business opportunities for numerous commercial establishments based around the UK.

Please Note: For commercial applications the African cape reed thatch is pre treated with a fire retardant chemical so you don't need to worry about using our thatched structures as an outdoor smoking area.

The addition of thatched shelters, canopies or outdoor eating area will completely transform any outdoor space, attracting custom all year round. The wooden structures can be used by smoking customers as somewhere to retreat with a drink, to enjoy with a cigarette whilst being sheltered from the rain, strong winds or the sun during the hot summer days. Smokers do not have to feel as though they are being treated too unfairly and pushed out into the cold. With the addition of seating and tables the thatched shelter or canopy offers a combination of sitting inside and outside giving customers the best of both worlds.

As a specialist manufacturer of outdoor wooden structures, the African Thatch Company offer a wide range of circular, square and oval roof wooden smoking and eating structures with various options including: bench seating, tables, canvas side panels, roof linings, timber screening, heating and lighting to create a superb smoking or al fresco environment.

Our experienced joiners and fitters can also, if required, create an additional bespoke timber decking areas to further enhance your outdoor area. Alternatively our smoking canopies or gazebos can be situated on an existing concrete, patio or decked area.

As the industry braces itself, a fall in custom is not the only thing landlord’s fear. Take the outdoor gas patio heaters many pubs are now installing: they are a massive contributor to global warming and could generate customer hostility. There are even fears that this type of heating may be banned in the future. Our advice would be to only purchase outdoor quartz halogen or infrared heaters. These heaters provide instant and directional heat, warming people and objects and not the air in between. They are considerably cheaper to run than comparable gas heaters (up to 10 times cheaper) and are less likely to generate any customer dissatisfaction.