The surge in fire pits for outdoor living projects that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic comes as little surprise. With many guests unable or unwilling to gather inside, businesses expanded their operations outdoors to stay afloat.
What’s perhaps more surprising is that fire feature manufacturers and distributors are still tracking sales significantly above pre-COVID numbers, indicating a sustained interest among designers and businesses in enhancing outdoor living spaces, says Casey Harvey, vice president of sales for propane gas equipment and appliance distributor Ray Murray.
“I think what we’ve seen is a mainstreaming of the outdoor space and folks realizing that they don’t have to spend a hundred thousand dollars,” Harvey says. “You could spend $5,000 or $10,000 and get a beautiful, usable outdoor space. So I think the mainstreaming of that trend is here, and I think we’ve hit a new plateau in order to enable growth going forward.”
Here are three trends driving the sustained growth of commercial fire pits.
1. Fire features are a cost-effective option to make an outdoor space stand out.
In a world where adding hardscape, paving, and retaining walls can send the costs of a project soaring, fire features represent an affordable opportunity for a designer or contractor to make an outdoor space valuable throughout the year, says Art Kunkle, vice president of sales for fire feature manufacturer Warming Trends. “A fire feature gives them a reason to be out of doors,” he says. “It’s a source of light. It’s a source of warmth. It’s a great place for people to gather. That makes their project a year-round return on investment instead of just seven months of the year.”
2. Linear fire features carve out a larger role.
Round fire features still make up the majority of installations, with larger round shapes measuring 6–8 feet in diameter becoming increasingly common, Harvey says. But long, narrow, linear fireplaces are also growing in popularity. “We’re starting to see the division of this outdoor room into specific zones for different things, and using these long, skinny fireplaces or fire pits is a nice way to break up the space,” he says.
3. Built-in gas lines offer operational advantages.
For most commercial businesses, running dedicated gas lines to the fire pit is preferable to a standalone propane tank, Harvey says. Rather than requiring staff to switch out cylinders in the middle of a meal service and having servers deal with relighting the flame, a dedicated gas line can be hidden away or run underground and connected to a facility’s main propane storage. Alongside the fire pit, businesses and designers can include gas grills and outdoor heaters with better performance than electric alternatives.
As amenities that can keep an outdoor space habitable, cozy, and easy to maintain year-round, fire pits and other propane-fueled outdoor living features are investments many businesses will find worthwhile.
Check out three additional commercial fire pit trends by visiting propane.com.
