Side protection for exposed dining areas
Restaurant Patio Windscreens
When wind makes otherwise useful tables uncomfortable, start with the exposed sides. EDG Patio & Shade helps restaurants compare mesh, vinyl, and glass around guest views, airflow, service paths, and the patio they already have.
Request a QuoteTell us what interrupts service. Photos and measurements are optional.
Choose the side protection that fits service
A windscreen should improve the seating area without making the restaurant harder to run. EDG compares the materials and opening methods around how much airflow, visibility, and protection your team needs.
Mesh screens
- Useful when you want to
- Keep airflow while addressing insects, sun, glare, and some everyday wind exposure.
- What to plan
- Fabric openness affects the view, privacy, and airflow. Mesh remains permeable; choose it when an open-air feel matters.
Clear vinyl screens
- Useful when you want to
- Create a retractable windbreak with visibility for cooler or more exposed dining conditions.
- What to plan
- Less airflow than mesh. Plan ventilation, cleaning, storage in the housing, and any heater compatibility with the selected system.
Operable glass
- Useful when you want to
- Provide clear side protection with panels that open as conditions change.
- What to plan
- Review structural support, tracks, panel movement or stacking, drainage, and doors. Glass is a broader enclosure commitment than a fabric screen.
A focused side upgrade
If overhead cover and the dining layout already work, protecting one or two exposed openings may be the right starting point. Keep the useful structure, preserve open sides where possible, and plan a clear path for screens or panels to retract.
A broader enclosure
If rain from above, several exposed sides, or seasonal heating also drive the project, review the roof, walls, heat, ventilation, and drainage together. A fuller enclosure needs more coordination around structure and daily operation.
Explore restaurant patio enclosuresPlan around the restaurant’s working day
01
Start with the affected tables
Identify where guests feel the draft, which direction it comes from, and when those tables become difficult to use. EDG reviews the existing roof or structure, openings, exposure, and mounting conditions before recommending side protection.
02
Keep service and access clear
Plan screen housings, tracks, glass movement, and control zones around server routes, entrances, furniture, and required accessible and exit paths. Decide whether staff need to operate one side independently or several openings together.
03
Plan installation and staff operation
Coordinate power, structural work, permits, installation access, and the work schedule with the restaurant team. Include a staff walkthrough covering controls, cleaning, service access, and when to retract or shut down the selected system.
Build the business case from your patio
Compare the tables affected by wind, service periods disrupted, typical covers and ticket averages, and the staffing needed to operate the space. Include cleaning, maintenance, and any heating costs. Those inputs help you compare a targeted side upgrade with a larger enclosure investment.
EDG designs and installs commercial patio systems in the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor. For projects elsewhere, our nationwide design and supply support works with your builder or local installation team.
Can windscreens be added to an existing patio roof?
Often, yes. EDG checks the existing support, opening dimensions, mounting surfaces, power, and operating clearances. A suitable roof or pergola may support a focused side upgrade; other patios need structural changes or a more complete enclosure plan.
Will a windscreen make the patio usable in every storm?
No. Everyday comfort screens are not a promise of storm protection. EDG selects the system around the exposure and reviews its operating guidance with your team so staff know when to retract it or close the patio.
Make your exposed seating easier to use
Tell EDG about the patio, the wind problem, and how your team serves the space. We’ll help compare the right scope.
Request a Quote