Tips for a Clean Antenna Installation for Your Restaurant

Adding a television to your restaurant or bar is a great way to draw crowds of people in. But booking a TV antenna installation can feel like a disruption to your business. You might be worried it’ll take too long, cost too much money, or the contractors will leave a mess (and you already have enough mess to deal with!).

If you’ve been holding back on your TV antenna installation because you’re worried about potential disruption to your business, this blog is for you. We’ll take you through some tips to help you prepare for your new TV, explain how we do a clean antenna installation for our restaurant clients, and talk about some factors you might want to consider.

Why Get a TV Antenna Installed for Your Restaurant?

Before we get into the tips, let’s talk through some reasons you might want to get a TV/antenna installed in your restaurant or bar.

Entertain patrons – People don’t just visit your restaurant for a bite to eat, they want to be entertained, too
Make wait times go faster – Sometimes there’s a hold-up in the kitchen you just can’t avoid, but with your customers entertained, they’re a lot less likely to notice (or complain)
Create a talking point – Help the conversation flow with something on the TV your guests can watch together and talk about
Create a feature point – Laying out the room is tricky without a feature point, but with a TV installed, you’ll know exactly where to put your tables and chairs

Create a view if you don’t already have one – No worries if you’re lacking city lights or ocean views… make the most of what you’ve got and give your guests something to look at with a TV!
Add ambiance and upgrade the vibe – Create a friendly buzz and happy vibe to draw guests in, even when you first open or when it’s a quiet day
Tune into special events – Broadcast sports and popular shows straight to your restaurant dining area
Encourage guests to stay for longer – When people are entertained and happy, they’ll draw out their stay for another drink or dessert
Encourage people to spend more – Happy guests and longer stays means higher average spend per customer

Think About Visibility

Depending on the size of your restaurant, bar, or café, you might have a few different options for positioning your TV and antenna. Installers will consider factors like where you’ll get the best reception for your antenna outside and anything that might block the signal. They’ll choose an antenna that’s the right size and design to get a strong signal in your local area.

It’s also really important to think about screen visibility inside – you’ll want your TV located somewhere that gives your patrons a clean line of sight. After all, no one wants to get a crick in their neck while they’re waiting for their meal to arrive or have their view blocked by the next table over. Plus, good visibility will mean more people watching the screen while they’re at your restaurant, giving you all the benefits we mentioned above (like staying longer and spending more).

Think About Size

While we’re on the topic of visibility, let’s talk about size. So, how big should your TV be for your space? If you’ve got a small restaurant or café, or if you place multiple TVs throughout your space, you may be able to get away with a fairly standard 55” TV. In fact, some larger TVs will be too big for your space!

But if you’ve got one TV covering a larger distance, you’ll need something bigger to avoid it getting lost in your space or straining your customers’ eyes. We’ve all been in restaurants where the TV wasn’t the right size and it feels stingy and makes for an unpleasant viewing experience. You don’t want that for your customers.

There’s a handy formula you can follow to determine the best-sized TV for your restaurant (the original version used feet for the distance, but we’ve converted it to metres):

(Viewing distance in metres x 42) / 2 = TV size in inches

For example, if your TV needs to cover a 5m viewing radius, your formula would look like this:

(5m x 42) / 2 = 105” TV

If the TV size you get isn’t available, go with the closest you can get. Or if you end up with an impossibly large number, take it as a sign that you’ll need to invest in multiple TV screens to split up and cover your space.

Manage Your Cables

It’s a good idea to think about cable management when it comes to any TV antenna installation, but especially in a professional restaurant environment. Dangling cables are not only unsightly, but they could be potentially dangerous – a trip hazard or worse. Your professional installation should include cable management to hide the cables and keep the space around your TV clean so there’s nothing to distract from the screen.

Should You Get Other Services Installed as Well?

It’s a good idea to think about the other services you might like taken care of by your antenna technician during your TV antenna installation. This might include:

TV wall mounting – To maximise your floor space for tables and chairs, and ensure the best view of your TV throughout your restaurant
TV point installation – To connect your TV to your antenna at the wall and minimise excess cords

Foxtel installation – To give your patrons more options for viewing, especially live sports action!

What Ongoing Maintenance Will It Need?

After your TV antenna is installed, it won’t need a great deal of maintenance. It should continue to work as long as your antenna isn’t displaced by a bird, animal, or severe weather. You might call an audio-visual technician in to check and adjust your antenna if you’re experiencing reception issues, or they may find there’s another issue that needs fixing like your cords, TV, or connection. But the good news is, compared to most other types of audio-visual equipment, your TV antenna will need very little maintenance.

For more info, check our previous blog, 13 signs it’s time for an antenna repair.

4 Steps to Prepare for Your TV Antenna Installation

Step 1: Choose a spot

The best location for your TV is on a wall that’s visible to most of your patrons. Ideally, not too close to any doors or windows to avoid glare. You’ll also need your TV mounted high (usually above head-height), depending on the size of your room. That way, more people will be able to see your TV, even from the other side of the restaurant.

Step 2: Rearrange your furniture

Some of our customers find that a new TV or antenna installation means their current layout doesn’t make sense anymore. A TV adds a focal point, which means you may want to move some tables and chairs around so more people can see the screen. It’ll depend on your restaurant and whether you have other focal points as well (like a view out the window).

Step 3: Clear the walls

If you’ve got wall hangings, artwork, or decorations on the walls, it’s a good idea to remove them before you get your new TV and antenna installed. That’ll keep them clean and avoid getting dust on them. You can always hang them up again in a different spot once you see how your new TV looks.

Step 4: Book a tech

TV antenna installation is something you definitely want to leave for the professionals – your in-house staff should not be messing around with cords, climbing on the roof, or cutting holes in the wall! So, book a professional to get the job done. Most of our restaurant clients book in at a time when the restaurant is closed to customers. We offer after hours services if needed, to avoid disruption to your staff and customers, and minimise the mess. Our technicians always clean up after themselves and ensure you’re all set up and ready to go before they leave.

Book Your TV Antenna Installation with Install My Antenna

Ready to upgrade your restaurant or bar with a TV antenna installation? We can help. We’re Australia’s top experts in installing TV antennas, with 35+ years’ experience in residential and commercial environments. Call us on 1300 800 123 for a free quote or to book your TV antenna installation with us.