Café Barriers
Making the most of your outdoor space is essential for hospitality businesses, and often, this means designating seating or smoking areas. café barriers are a great tool for creating a polished, organised seating area - but how do you know which barrier you need? Or how many individual posts and banners you’ll require for your space? Or if you need planning permission to set them up?
A café barrier is a product which can be used to create seating or smoking areas outside hospitality venues, or can be used to form queue systems. You will typically see café banners most frequently sectioning off seating areas outside cafés, restaurants, pubs and bars. They offer a dual function: spatial organisation and advertising. Setting up a seating areas using queue barriers creates an orderly and visually appealing space instead of a mish-mash of tables and chairs. They help to create a welcoming and professional look outside your business, and when printed with your branding, they will help to attract customers.
A café barrier is made up of custom printed banners that are connected to stanchion posts at either end (or to a wall bracket) using cross rails and/or bungee cords. Our café barrier systems, also known as café windbreak systems, are available in a range of widths ranging from 1000mm to 2000mm wide.
Café Barriers are also known as:
- Café Banners
- Café Windbreaks
- Outdoor Banner Windbreak Stands
- Printed Barriers
- Outdoor Barriers
- Outdoor Banners
- Restaurant Barriers
- Café Barrier Systems
- Mesh Banners
- Outdoor Café Fencing
- Coffee Shop Barriers
- Queue Barriers
Where Can Café Barriers Be Used?
Cafés
Bars
Restaurants
Pubs
Eateries
Nightclubs
Shops
Exhibitions
Events
Shopping Centres
Transporation
Entertainment
What Café Banner Graphics Are Available?
Light Block PVC 750gsm - If you’re looking for double-sided printed banners for your café barriers, this is the perfect material, as it is reinforced and completely opaque. It’s also ideal for hospitality venues thanks to its wipe-clean surface finish.
Display Polyester - the print is fixed using dye-sublimation for a rich, bright and weather-resistant finish. This lightweight material can be single or double-sided. The double-sided finish has a liner stitched in the middle to prevent show-through.
Mesh PVC 380gsm - Designed specifically for windy locations, this semi-transparent material allows some air to pass through, meaning the banners are less likely to be toppled in the wind. Thanks to the nature of the fabric, printed branding is more subtle than other materials. Single-sided print only.
Polyester Canvas 450gsm - This 100% polyester fabric has a close weave, giving the appearance, weight and feel of traditional canvas but with additional durability to prevent rot or stain when used outside. Single-sided print only.
Do I Need Planning Permission For Café Windbreaks?
café barriers which mark out seating areas often make a positive impact on high streets by encouraging a community feel and giving a sense of vitality. However, this doesn’t mean that you can erect one anywhere you like. You must always check with your own local Council about their individual legislative requirements before you set up a café barrier - even if it’s directly outside your business.
One of the main things Councils will consider when it comes to café barriers and windbreaks is whether the proposed area will affect the public right of way. These rules cover footpaths, pavements, marketplaces, verges and parking spaces. Typically, public highways like these can be used for pavement seating areas as long as they do not obstruct passers-by, particularly wheelchair users and the visually impaired; but every local Council will have its own individual guidelines.
You may be required to fill out forms to apply for a ‘Pavement café Licence’; in rarer situations even obtain planning permission. If you wish to serve alcohol in your denoted seating area, this adds another dimension to the licensing required.
The main rule is: if you want to set out a café barrier on public land, you will need to reach out to your local Council first.
Café Barrier Layouts
To work out how many posts and rails you will need to configure your café barrier kit you will need to measure the total space you need to fill. It can help to draw a floor plan to help visualise your outdoor space. We have a range of preconfigured café barrier kits available to make choosing your layout easier.
If none of our kits suit your needs, you can create your own system by adding posts and printed banners together to configure your custom café banner kit.
Helpful Hint
You can use longer length rails and banners to cover a greater distance if you are working within a budget.
Design Tip
Use a combination of different length rails and graphics to create an interesting configuration.
What Types of Café Barriers Are Available?
The Budget Adfresco® LT cafe banner system is a cost-effective design, suitable for indoor use and sheltered outdoor use. Stainless steel posts support printed display banners using a cross rail and bungee cords for each panel.
- Cost-effective barrier system
- Stainless silver posts with bungee connectors
- Suitable for indoor and sheltered outdoor use
- Choice of cross rail widths: 1200, 1500, 1800mm
- Pre-defined café barrier kits with huge savings
- Sold as individual components to configure own kit
- Post weight: 11.3kg
- Choice of three banner materials for flexibility: PVC, mesh and canvas
View Budget Adfresco Café Barrier Kits:
1 Banner Kit 2 Banner Kit 3 Banner Kit 4 Banner Kit 5 Banner Kit
This high-quality cafe barrier system is our most suitable range for outdoor use thanks to the weatherproof materials, including 3-series polished stainless steel stanchion posts and personalised printed banners supported with either 2 cross rails or a single cross rail and bungee cords.
- Heavy use café barrier system
- Specifically designed for heavy outdoor use
- Three cross rail widths available 1200, 1500, 1800mm
- Stainless or black stanchion posts available
- Bungee and cross rail connection options
- Pre-defined café barrier kits with huge savings
- Sold as individual components to configure own kit
- Post Weight: 14.5/15kg
- Choice of three banner materials for flexibility: PVC, mesh and canvas
View Adfresco Café Barrier Kits:
1 Banner Kit 2 Banner Kit 3 Banner Kit 4 Banner Kit 5 Banner Kit
Designed as a more durable system than our standard cafe barriers, the deluxe cafe barrier range has stainless steel posts with weighted concrete bases, as well as bespoke printed banners with two cross rail attachments.
- Polished chrome stanchions
- Suitable for indoor or sheltered outdoor use
- Choose from three cross rail widths: 1000, 1500, 2000mm
- Printed banners are connected with double cross rails
- Pre-defined café barrier kits with huge savings
- Sold as individual components to configure own kit
- Post Weight: 7.75kg
- Choice of two banner materials: PVC or display polyester graphics
View Deluxe Café Barrier Kits:
1 Banner Kit 2 Banner Kit 3 Banner Kit 4 Banner Kit 5 Banner Kit
Our most cost-effective cafe barrier system, with chic modern black metal posts finished with a weighted concrete base. Single or double-sided printed banners available, fixed with a cross rail and bungee cords.
- Satin black stanchions posts
- Suitable for indoor or sheltered outdoor use
- Choose from three cross rail widths: 1000, 1500, 2000mm
- Printed banners are connected with cross rail and bottom bungees
- Pre-defined café barrier kits with huge savings
- Sold as individual components to configure own kit
- Post Weight: 7.75kg
- Choice of two banner materials: PVC or display polyester graphics
View Standard Café Barrier Kits:
1 Banner Kit 2 Banner Kit 3 Banner Kit 4 Banner Kit 5 Banner Kit
Why Buy Café Barriers From XL Displays?
The team behind XL Displays has been meeting customer needs in the exhibition and events industry for more than 20 years, and all of that expertise has gone into curating a range of high-quality cafe barrier systems.
All of the cafe barrier products we sell have been manufactured using premium materials to ensure maximum product quality.
Our outstanding customer rating demonstrates the quality of our products and the 5* customer service that comes with it.