According to the data of the consulting company NF Group, in St. Petersburg, 184 verandas with 4,600 seats were opened in the main gastronomic corridors of the city and in public spaces by the beginning of summer. The appearance of a street zone in catering establishments has increased their capacity by an average of 22%. The largest increase in the number of places was observed in coffee shops (+26%), the smallest – in bakeries and canteens (+7-8%).The presence of a veranda in the summer often becomes a decisive factor in choosing an institution for both city residents and tourists.
Due to the variety of restaurant and cafe concepts, St. Petersburg is rightly recognized as the gastronomic capital of Russia. With the arrival of heat, residents of the city and tourists, choosing places for tasting dishes, pay attention to the presence of decorated street spaces in establishments. Most of the summer verandas near restaurants and cafes are located on the main gastronomic streets of the city – Nevsky Prospekt, Nekrasov and Rubinstein streets, as well as in large commercial public spaces with courtyards.
As of June 2024, 341 catering establishments with 21,200 seats are operating in these locations. More than half of them have an outdoor veranda (54%). Summer playgrounds are most often installed at cafes and restaurants, bars and gastropubs – 64-65% of projects. The least common street areas are in canteens and fast food establishments (16% of places).
By June 2024, the number of seats in catering establishments located in the studied locations increased by 4,600 due to the opening of verandas. The average increase in capacity was 22% in relation to the number of indoor seats. The largest increase in the number of seats is observed in coffee shops (+26%), which is explained by their relatively small areas (an average of 34 seats). Bakeries and canteens have the lowest rate (+7-8%), which is due to the small number of verandas in these establishments as a whole.
Anna Lapchenko, head of the retail real estate department at the NF Group consulting company in St. Petersburg: “Optimizing the procedure for approving summer verandas with the city administration has significantly increased the number of seats in establishments, attracting tourists and citizens in the warm season. Verandas are not only a way of additional visual advertising of a gastronomic project, but also a kind of invitation to visit. The visual presentation of the dishes, the menu and the general atmosphere of the place instantly attract the attention of passers-by. Those establishments that do not have street seating are also trying to integrate into the trend and use sliding window systems, install wide window sills and take out outdoor furniture, which allows you to expand guest areas without the need for additional permits. Therefore, often when customers are looking for premises for the opening of catering establishments, they pay special attention to the issue of availability of space for summer verandas.”
In the design of summer areas, restaurateurs pay attention to various details, ranging from the type of furniture, ending with landscaping, light and decorations. For example, you can find verandas with swings; summer areas with a view of the playground; verandas with an additional attached recreation area overlooking the embankment; a summer area completely fenced with greenery, umbrellas and lanterns. Verandas are also often a reflection of the very concept of establishments, and while in a jazz restaurant you can find sofas with elegant black tables surrounded by lilac flower beds, in a nearby bar the summer area consists of barrel tables with bar stools under red lanterns.
Источник: www.bsn.ru