What Restaurants Should Know Before Placing Grills Outside

Posted by Champion Tuff Grill on July 25th, 2019

The summer allows for many restaurants around the nation to finally take advantage of their outdoor seating options. However, some establishments enhance the experience more for customers dining outside by also cooking with an outdoor commercial grill. It can grab the attention of people walking by the restaurant and give the outdoor seating area an atmosphere akin to a backyard barbecue. Before you and the other restaurant chefs start grilling outside, you should be aware of potential hazards you need to prepare for.

Grilling in the Rain

Unfortunately, not all days in the summer are filled with sunshine. If it starts drizzling a little bit, you can still serve some tasty, grilled cuisine, but you’ll have to be cautious with how you handle it on and off the grill. Make sure that your grill is placed underneath an umbrella to protect your meats and vegetables from the raindrops. No matter if you are using a gas or charcoal grill, you don’t want it underneath a rain cloud.

Once the food is prepared, you now have the additional task of delivering the dish without getting it too wet. Since you’re balancing plates and walking across wet floors, you don’t want to try and rush the delivery too much. Your outdoor tables should have umbrellas, and the way you arrange them could potentially help the waiter avoid being under the storm clouds. Otherwise, they need to be careful with how much plates they deliver at a time and how they will carry it. If the downpour is too much, the grill master should take all food items off the grill and keep the device at a safe temperature until they can go back outside again.

Particular Placement

Where you choose to position the grill can help with the outdoor barbecue aesthetic, but it needs to be in a convenient location that should not bother the other waiters and customers that much. As much as visitors enjoy smelling whatever you have cooking, you don’t want the grill too close to the tables for safety reasons and so that the smell and smoke doesn’t overpower whatever food they are eating.

Choosing a larger, separate area for the commercial grill such as the corner of the outdoor eating area or in the middle of a large bar also makes it easier for waiters to walk around the cooking zone or grab whatever they need from the chef. More room means more space they can use to avoid running into other waiters and wandering customers. It’s also easier to talk to them in a less crowded area with minimal interruptions.