Patio season planner
Pick the open and close dates, draw how busy each month gets, and see the guests, sales, staff hours and heater fuel the patio brings, and the day it pays back its setup. The permit, liquor licence and insurance to-dos count back from opening day, and the dog rule is checked for you.
Help and background Back to the tool
How it works
- 1 Pick the day the patio opens, the day it closes, and the days of the week it runs.
- 2 Draw how busy each month gets, and tap the flame on the months that need heaters.
- 3 Put in the tables, how many guests a seat gets on a full day and what a guest spends.
- 4 Add the staff, the heaters and what it costs to set up.
- 5 See the season's guests, sales, staff hours and heater fuel, the day the setup is paid back, and every to-do dated back from opening day.
Free, with no account. Everything is worked out on this page: the plan and its numbers are never sent to us or put in a link. Remember keeps your patio and to-do list on this device, and only while it's on.
Good to know
- When do I apply for the patio permit?
- Each city runs its own patio program, with its own deadline, fee and drawings, and some ask months ahead. The planner starts the permit to-dos well before opening day; once you've looked up your city's real deadline, put it in as a date.
- Can dogs come on the patio?
- In Ontario, since 2020, it's your choice: the food premises rules let dogs into an outdoor eating area where no food is prepared, on a leash and under control. If you cook or plate food on the patio, they can't come. Service animals are a separate rule. The planner checks this and prints a sign either way.
- What about serving alcohol outside?
- Your liquor sales licence has to cover the patio. Check with the AGCO before the season, especially for a new or bigger patio. It's guidance, not legal advice: the AGCO and your city have the final word.
- How sure are the numbers?
- As sure as the guesses that go in. How busy each month gets and how many days the weather takes are yours to draw, and the result is what the patio adds after food, staff, heaters and setup, before rent and other overhead. Change a guess and watch the season move.
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