Bar and restaurant awnings in Malaga for terraces that fill up

It depends on the town hall and where the terrace is. If your tables are on the public pavement, almost every town requires a terrace licence or permit to occupy the public highway, and many bye-laws also regulate what goes on it: awnings, parasols, windbreaks or structures. They may set maximum sizes and heights, colours, whether it can be anchored to the ground or the facade and what advertising is allowed. If the terrace is on your own land or in a private space, the procedure is usually different.

Every town hall, from Velez-Malaga to Nerja, Torremolinos, Marbella or Motril, has its own rules, and sometimes they vary from one street or area to the next. That’s why we don’t give you a generic answer: at the visit we look at your case and tell you what’s needed.

What we can promise is that you won’t have to wrestle with the paperwork yourself. When the project requires it, we handle the paperwork and permits: we prepare the technical information on the awning, its dimensions and its fixings so you can submit it, or we deal with it together.

There’s a fuller explanation of the usual cases in our article Do I need permission to install an awning or a pergola?. And if your premises are in a building with a community of owners, see also awnings in communities of owners.

There’s no single ideal awning for every business; it depends on the size of the terrace, which way it faces, the wind in the street and what the bye-law allows. These are the options we install most often as restaurant awnings and bar awnings:

The retractable awning is the most versatile: it’s fixed to the facade, needs no supports on the ground and leaves the space between tables clear. For very wide terraces or long projections, the monobloc awning, with its continuous support bar, copes better with large sizes. When the projection is long or the wind blows hard, an awning with support legs rests its front on the ground and gains stability.

If the terrace suffers in the levante (easterly) or poniente (westerly) wind, the most effective answer is to add windbreaks at the sides or front. And if you want to use the terrace in winter too, a pergola with screens may be a better investment than an awning. In every case we recommend a motor, because a commercial awning is opened and closed many times a day and your staff will thank you: with a remote it takes seconds and the fabric is better protected.

Usually it’s a combination of several of these. At the visit we put together a complete proposal, with a fixed-price quote, so you’re clear about what you’re buying and why. You can request it using the form.

Yes, and for hospitality it makes a lot of sense: the awning is the first thing people see as they stroll down the street or along the promenade. The most common option is to put your name or logo on the valance, the strip that hangs from the front of the awning, because it’s visible both when the awning is out and from a distance. You can also personalise the rest of the fabric by choosing colours or stripes that match the look of your premises.

The branding technique and the result depend on the fabric you choose and its manufacturer. Not every fabric takes the same finishes, and the colour or detail of the logo may vary with the material. So before finalising the design, we show you the real options on the Sauleda or Dickson fabric we’ll be using and explain what can be done with it.

Bear in mind the local bye-law too. Some town halls limit advertising on terrace furniture or set colours for a whole street or promenade. We check this with you so the awning doesn’t cause you problems at an inspection. We explain more in our article on permits for awnings and pergolas.

If you just want to refresh the look of an awning you already have, we can carry out a fabric replacement with your new design without touching the frame.

On the Malaga coast, wind is the great enemy of terraces. When the levante or poniente blows, the awning has to come in and customers get up from their tables. The most effective solution is windbreaks for bar terraces: vertical screens at the sides or front that keep the wind out without blocking the light or the view.

There are several ways to do it. A windbreak awning with side guides holds the fabric in side guides so it doesn’t blow loose in gusts, and it can be made with clear fabric or clear windows so you can still see the street or the sea. A zip screen has its fabric held in the guides by a zip, so it stays very taut and, with a motor, goes up and down at the touch of a remote.

The awning itself matters too. An awning with support legs or a properly sized monobloc copes better than a lightweight one designed for a home, and a wind sensor retracts the awning on its own when it blows hard, even if your staff are busy. Even so, no fabric awning should be left out in a storm: it must always be retracted in line with the manufacturer’s instructions.

At the visit we look at where the wind comes from in your street and suggest the most sensible combination.

Yes. As well as bars and restaurants, we install awnings for shops: boutiques, chemists, hairdressers, estate agents, bakeries or any premises with a shop window onto the street. An awning on the facade does three things at once: it protects the goods in the window from the sun, which fades clothes, packaging and posters; it shades the entrance so customers stop to look; and it works as a sign that can be seen from a distance.

For shopfronts we usually recommend a drop arm awning, which projects the fabric outwards at an angle and keeps the window clearly visible, or a cassette awning, which stores the fabric and arms inside a case when closed and leaves the facade tidy at closing time. For premises with little headroom or a lot of low afternoon sun, a vertical roller awning can also work.

We choose the fabric and valance colour to match your brand and your facade, and if the building has a community of owners or the town hall regulates the look of the street, we take that into account from the outset. In old towns and on some shopping streets there are often rules on colours, maximum projection or clearance under the awning, and it’s best to know them before ordering.

With a Cherubini motor, opening or closing it when you arrive or lock up is just a press of a button. Book your visit using the form.

Yes, that’s always what we aim for. We know every day closed in high season costs money, so we plan the fitting around your opening hours. Usually we fit first thing, before you open, on your day off or during the quietest hours. At the visit we ask when suits you best and set it out in the quote.

The fitting is done by our own technical team, with no subcontractors, and how long it takes depends on the system and the size. A retractable awning or a shopfront awning is usually done in a single day of fitting; an installation with several awnings, windbreaks or a pergola may take longer. We tell you in writing so you can organise your staff and bookings.

What takes the longest isn’t the fitting but the made-to-measure manufacturing and, where needed, the council paperwork. That’s why we recommend not waiting until May: if you want your terrace ready for Easter (Semana Santa) or the summer, it’s best to book the visit in winter, leaving time for the paperwork. The manufacturing lead time depends on the manufacturer and the product, and you’ll see it in the quote. You can book your visit using the form.

If you already have awnings and just need them in good shape before the season, take a look at our awning repairs and new fabric service.

Fabric on a commercial terrace works much harder than on a home: it’s opened and closed several times a day, sits in the sun for hours and is exposed to salt air, kitchen smoke and grease in the air. That’s why we use Sauleda and Dickson acrylic fabrics designed for outdoor use, and choose the collection according to how you’ll use it.

For the awning canopy the usual choice is acrylic fabric, which gives dense shade and holds its colour well. For windbreaks and vertical screens, micro-perforated or screen fabrics work very well, letting some air and light through, as do clear fabrics when you want to keep the view. Some bye-laws or premises require a fabric with a particular fire rating; in that case we choose a fabric that meets it, according to the manufacturer’s data sheet.

Colour needs thinking about too: light shades reflect more sun and stay cooler, while dark ones give cooler shade but show dirt more. We explain it in which awning keeps the heat out best.

To make it last, clean it regularly with water and mild soap and don’t leave it rolled up wet for days. You’ll find our guidelines in how to clean and maintain an awning.

Yes. Every awning we install comes with a guarantee and after-sales service. Materials come with a 2-year warranty depending on the manufacturer and the product, which means each component, such as the fabric or the motor, is covered under the terms set by its manufacturer; on top of that, our structure and our installation have their own guarantee. If something fails in the middle of the season, you call us and we deal with it from Velez-Malaga.

For a business, the smart move is to have your awnings checked before the busy season starts: checking the fabric tension, the arms and springs, the fixings and the motor, and cleaning the fabric. That way you avoid a tired spring or a failing motor leaving you without shade on a Saturday in August with a full terrace.

We also look after commercial awnings installed by another company. If your awnings are a few years old, we can repair them, replace the fabric with new fabric showing your current branding or swap the motor for a Cherubini. We explain more in awning repairs and new fabric and awning motorisation.

If you have several premises or a large terrace, let us know and we’ll organise the check-ups to suit you. We’re the company that installs your commercial awnings in Malaga, and the one that’s still there afterwards.