Outdoor catering: What should you pay attention to with catering tents?

Should it be a temporary tent for outdoor catering or something more solid that can remain permanently in place? One thing up front: even temporary catering tents are ideally suited for permanent and long-term use. We show you that tents for catering offer many advantages compared with solid construction:

High flexibility

First-class catering tents and catering canopies adapt precisely to your wishes and site conditions thanks to their modular temporary building design. An extension to an existing restaurant can be realised just as easily as covering a terrace in catering. A catering tent is also the ideal solution as an additional party tent for after-work clubbing or other outdoor events. Maximum flexibility is also ensured by the airy construction of catering tents: if you want to switch between pure sun protection and a tent with side walls, the side panels can simply be removed.

Easy assembly and disassembly

Catering tents and catering canopies offer quickly deployable solutions for outdoor catering. They are not only easy to assemble, but can also be dismantled and reassembled without difficulty. The location of the catering tent can therefore be changed without any loss of quality.

Optimal price-performance ratio

The construction of a solid building is time-consuming and costly. With a catering tent, you create a cost-effective and time-saving solution, while at the same time not having to compromise on comfort, quality or an attractive design.

Impressive space solution

With a high-quality tent for catering, you choose a stylish solution for outdoor catering that can be perfectly adapted to the conditions on site. As a terrace canopy, catering tents are the perfect solution, but they can also be used for large outdoor events. The many equipment options and various accessories make a catering tent the perfect feel-good location for guests. Good quality in catering tents and catering canopies also ensures durability, trouble-free year-round use and full weather resistance.

There are many affordable catering tents for outdoor use in hospitality businesses, but they offer hardly any flexibility in terms of dimensions, accessories or equipment. Individual requirements or even bespoke solutions cannot be implemented with them.

For pure terrace canopies, wood is also a popular material. When it is used for covering terraces or beer gardens, its maintenance requirements must be taken into account.

For this reason, high-quality catering tents are the best solution for long-term and reliable use as a terrace canopy. When assessing quality, the material composition plays just as important a role as the weather resistance of the tent. After all, a terrace canopy in catering should not only provide a perfect feel-good atmosphere on hot summer days, but also on changeable spring or autumn days.

With a high-quality catering tent, you ensure a stable and durable solution for outdoor catering. The frame is maintenance-free and can be easily assembled and dismantled. Catering tents can be adapted to individual requirements: side walls, windows, doors, roof shapes and many other features are customisable. However, catering tents do not always require a bespoke solution: modular systems ensure short delivery times and rapid readiness for use.

A catering tent only becomes truly stylish with the right outdoor furniture. Cosy lounge furniture can be placed in restaurant terraces under stable catering tents just as well as bistro tables and chairs or upholstered seating. The furniture can be fully matched to the style of the event or the interior design of the hospitality venue. The same applies to flooring and wall systems.

You can also put the catering tent in the perfect light with suitable lighting. Atmospheric LED lighting creates a tasteful ambience.

In our climate, the weather is changeable from spring through to autumn. If catering tents are equipped with a heating and ventilation system, guests can stay in them in any weather. A very open atmosphere can be created by using windows or a transparent roof. This provides plenty of natural light in the catering tent, as this elegant wedding tent in a wood look for one of our clients clearly demonstrates. The high stability of catering tents is generally achieved through anchoring to the ground using ground pegs. A ballast system matched to the tent can be used where ground pegs are not possible. This allows guests to remain on the outdoor terrace of a hospitality venue even in strong gusts of wind.

Weather resistance is an important requirement for terrace canopies and tents in catering. They must not only be waterproof, but also offer a high level of UV protection. Whether during a prolonged heatwave or continuous rain, weather conditions must not affect the use of the catering tent. Guests must feel comfortable in the catering tent in all of these weather conditions.

For optimal stability, the frame of catering tents consists of different structural components made from aluminium and steel. This temporary building design is ideal for outdoor catering. It offers low self-weight with high flexibility, as the catering tent in temporary building construction can be extended without limit through modular extensions. Height, width and length can be individually planned. Despite its lightweight construction, structural safety standards are met.

The lightweight structure and modular system design are decisive for quick and easy assembly. Disassembly is just as quick. If the catering tent or terrace canopy is only used for a certain period of the year, the structure can simply be stored away and reassembled for the next season.

National standards or specifications serve as a basis for quality control. In German-speaking countries, fire protection standard DIN 4102-1 regulates the fire resistance of building materials and construction products. Even if cooking or grilling is not intended inside the tent, our materials are classified according to DIN 4102-1 as low-flammability building materials in fire protection class B1.

As soon as temperatures rise in spring, many guests flock to the outdoor areas of a venue. Catering tents provide the perfect solution for this – from large to very small options:

Catering tent as an extension or annex

Many hospitality businesses want to offer their guests service in a pleasant outdoor atmosphere during the warmer months. In this case, catering tents are the ideal solution and can serve as a canopy for a terrace or beer garden. A catering tent can also be used as an extension for restaurants, cafés or food trucks.

Catering tent as a standalone solution

Weddings, festivals, after-work clubbing or beer festivals are preferably celebrated outdoors when warm sunshine beckons. In these cases, catering tents serve as catering tents. They can be used as buffet shelters, but also as mobile kitchens or storage for food. Small space wonders such as pop-up stores and food trucks are also very popular. Catering tents also offer the right solution for these forms of outdoor catering.

The erection of a tent in catering is subject to several legal regulations. We show you what needs to be observed. If a catering tent is to extend the outdoor area of a hospitality business, it is always advisable to contact the responsible building authority.

Building permit

Whether a building permit is required for a catering tent depends on two factors: the size of the tent and its duration of use. Below 75 m² and when used temporarily as a “temporary building” for a maximum of 3 months, no building permit is required for a catering tent. The exact regulations that apply can be found in the respective state building regulations; in addition, the conditions of the relevant city or municipality must always be clarified in each individual case. Ultimately, these are the decisive factor.

Immission control law

All hospitality businesses in Germany are subject to the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG). When planning and equipping a catering tent, regulations regarding noise and emission control must therefore be taken into account. If the outdoor area is completely open, use is generally permitted until 10 p.m.; after that, windows and doors must be closed. However, closing times are regulated differently from federal state to federal state. In addition, the BImSchG also aims at environmental friendliness. In the case of tents for catering, this primarily concerns waste generated in the outdoor area. Exact regulations can be obtained from the responsible municipality.

Extension of the catering licence

If the hospitality business is to be subsequently extended to an outdoor area, an extension of the catering licence is required. This must be applied for and granted separately, with the same requirements applying as for a regular application for a licence.

For outdoor catering, lightweight, waterproof and durable catering tents are required. This is exactly what HTS TENTIQ offers with its high-quality temporary buildings, which are characterised by short assembly and disassembly times.

In the production of catering tents, HTS TENTIQ sets very high quality standards: our tents for outdoor catering are designed to be used over long periods without loss of quality and to provide the perfect solution for your space requirements. A key prerequisite for this is the tent materials. The frame of our catering terrace canopies and catering tents is therefore made of two different metals: the main structural components are made of high-quality aluminium, while some connecting parts are even made of corrosion-resistant, hot-dip galvanised steel. This makes the frame both robust and lightweight – the perfect combination for a catering tent.

However, a catering tent can be much more than just a canopy. With various side enclosure options, a catering tent such as a marquee provides a solution for any weather. The festival and party tents are available in both insulated and non-insulated versions. Our tarpaulins meet international standards and are moisture-resistant, fungicidal and flame-retardant.

In order to tailor our tents and terrace canopies for catering to customer requirements, we rely on a modular system design. This ensures flexible and unlimited expansion of the catering tent. With our bespoke solutions, we can also realise highly individual concepts.

You can create an absolute feel-good atmosphere in our catering tents with additional fittings and suitable accessories. Depending on the intended use of the catering tent, you can choose from different lighting options, flooring systems, glass walls, doors and interior linings according to your individual style. This creates an incomparable ambience. A pleasant indoor climate in tents with closed side panels can be achieved using ventilation windows. Alternatively, the standard centre-split tarpaulins can be opened or removed with little effort to ensure air circulation. With a heating system, you can also ensure that guests feel comfortable in all weather conditions.