Year-round Outdoor Dining

Outdoor patio’s retractable screens provide solar and pest protection, while vinyl walls guard against precipitation and cold to provide year-round versatility that improves the bottom line.

The outdoor patio at the Trading Post Tap House and Eatery in Abbotsford, British Columbia is a favorite dining spot for locals and an important revenue source for the restaurant. Looking to keep their customers comfortable in a variety of weather conditions and maximize use of the space throughout the year, the owners contacted Wizard Screens seeking a retractable screen solution that keeps patio diners happy.

Specifically, the preferred screen had to meet the following requirements:

1. It must be motorized and lower quickly and easily to keep customers cool in the summer and the sun out of their eyes any time of year, since the patio faces directly towards the sun during dinner service.
2. It should preserve the outside view and keep pests, such as insects and birds, out.
3. It has to blend in with the patio’s casual rustic design and décor.
4. It needs to work in conjunction with the patio’s existing clear vinyl wall panels that block out the cold, precipitation, and wind to allow the 187-seat patio to stay open year round.

After researching several brands of retractable screens, the restaurant owners found the Wizard Motorized Smart Screen to be the perfect solution to block the glare, heat, and pests while maintaining the view and preserving the rustic design. The screen’s design also works in perfect harmony with the patio’s existing clear vinyl panels for a versatile two-part solution that can address any situation during any time of year. In the warmer months the screens can be lowered independently of the vinyl panels and then lowered with the panels during inclement weather or colder months.

The owners selected a black aluminum housing that blends nicely with the décor and a black mesh that blocks 95% of the UV rays while still allowing customers to see through to the outside. Able to span 30 feet wide and 23 feet tall, the screen easily covers the largest of the four openings at 22 feet. The ability to operate the four installed screens at the touch of a button allows staff to conveniently lower and adjust the screes as needed and then raise them back into their protective housing at closing time.

The screens were installed on time and on budget. After being in place for a couple of weeks, co-owner Lance Veroeff is very pleased with the screens appearance and performance, saying, “We are so happy with how the screens look and how easy they are to operate.”