It's summer in the city, and let's be honest: Who wants to be inside when they could be outside soaking up those all-too-rare rays of sunshine?

But when balmy breezes goad us into heading for our favorite restaurant's patio, deck or garden, what do we find? Half of Seattle is there ahead of us and the wait could be an hour or more.

Don't kick yourself for not calling ahead. Outdoor tables are prime pieces of real estate, and most restaurants dole them out on a first-come, first-served basis.

And how about when a gloomy morning suddenly gives way to a glorious noon and you race to the nearest deck to enjoy a sandwich in the sun, only to find the restaurant isn't serving outside that day?

It's frustrating for patrons, to be sure, but pity the poor restaurateurs who have to second-guess nature every day. With alfresco dining in full swing, many must wish they had a meteorologist on staff — or at least a reliable crystal ball.

For all of its joys, outdoor dining can be a logistical nightmare from management's point of view, especially for restaurants where seats outside equal or exceed seats inside. The expanded volume impacts staffing, food ordering, kitchen prep time and restocking of general inventory. But restaurateurs report that the rewards — more business and happy customers — are well worth the headaches.

"As soon as the sun comes out, people want to be in it," says Lane Hoss of Anthony's restaurants. "Our general managers are used to this cycle. It's like retailers at Christmas time."

So how do they cope? At Anthony's, as at many other restaurants, they plot the weather for a week out, cultivate a flexible staff of experienced help and schedule for the best. But they also have contingency plans for when the weather changes, like keeping blankets on hand and a few tables open inside in case they have to shift people quickly.

"We listen to the weather. We do the research," says Allan Aquila, general manager at Kirkland's Yarrow Bay Grill and Beach Café. "Then we go out and do our own forecast. The end of the dock at Carillon Point gives us a nice 360 view. We look and then decide whether to open the deck."

Those decisions can't be too last-minute, because servicing the 85-seat deck at the Beach Café, for example, requires five or six extra people, which is double the inside wait staff.

"We might decide at 10 a.m. not to open the deck for lunch," says Aquila. "Then by 11:30 it's sunny and people don't understand why they can't sit outside. So we try to err on the optimistic side and open the deck, even if it's with only a partial crew."

Fresh air encourages people to linger, so tables outside generally don't turn over at the more predictable pace of those inside. At waterfront eateries such as Yarrow Bay, the wait for a seat on the deck can be up to an hour and a half.

Not surprisingly, cocktail sales spike in the summer.

For restaurants like BluWater Bistro on Lake Union, where outdoor dining more than triples the seating capacity, summertime is a high-stakes crapshoot with Mother Nature.

BluWater's lakeside patio, with its tiki torches, treehouse and swarm of bodies on a summer night "looks like a theme park to boaters approaching from the water," says Elizabeth Williams, manager of marketing and special events.

Using the patio adds 225 additional seats to the 80 inside. On a packed summer night, that can translate into a sixfold increase in the restaurant's sales.

"On a typical night without the patio, we might do $6,000," says Williams. On a recent warm and cloudless weekend, one night's sales hit $38,000.

To cope with the surge in business, BluWater keeps triple the usual number of staff on call, about 15 people, including runners, servers, bussers, kitchen help and managers. At 3 p.m., the phone starts ringing with staffers wondering whether they're working that night.

"You can't really plan ahead. You wake up and assess the weather," says Williams. "But keeping labor in check is critical. It's how restaurants make money. If you have more staff than necessary, you eighty-six profits."

BluWater's executive chef, Dennis Dizon, checks the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's weather predictions for the week before assembling his food order. He also creates a menu that leans toward food that's quick to prep.

Inventory checks occur daily with frequent emergency runs to the restaurant supply store or Cash & Carry to replenish forks, glassware, straws, napkins, even toothpicks.

If the sky begins to look threatening, servers give rain warnings and start to close out bills.

"Our Leschi and Greenlake restaurants will call if they see rain headed our way too," says Williams. In seven years, she recalls only one significant deluge that took them by surprise.

"It was a Friday night at 7 p.m. and the rain came suddenly. We had scantily clad diners clinging to the mushroom heaters and people huddled under awnings. A few skipped out on their checks, but otherwise it was pretty orderly."

"Most people are pretty understanding if it starts to rain," says Dan Kezner, manager of Kirkland's Purple Café & Wine Bar. "They go to the top of the wait list if we have to move them inside."

When the glass-paned garage door lifts, connecting Purple Café's dining room to the patio, it increases seating by 50 percent. The addition of an outdoor service station this year should make operations smoother.

"We love having the patio open," says Kezner. "It means less of a wait for customers. It makes them happy, so it makes us happy."

Bandoleone's new digs overlooking the heart of Fremont come with a spacious patio that doubles the number of diners the Latin eatery can accommodate in good weather. To celebrate its first full summer season, a grill chef will be cooking up Cuban-style street food — skewered meats, fish, vegetables and tofu — three or four nights a week right on the patio.

At most restaurants, outside seats are filled on a first-come, first-served basis because restaurateurs know they won't have any trouble filling up those tables. They don't like putting any of their best seats on hold for parties that may not show up.

The Pink Door is an exception. For 24 years this Italian restaurant has taken reservations for their pretty patio overlooking Pike Place Market.

Marjorie also accepts reservations for an outdoor table. Owner Donna Moodie says they love opening the "porch," the staff's nickname for the secluded courtyard adjacent to the Belltown restaurant. "Everyone is more mellow outside."

The customers may be mellow, but the season is so intense for the staff that Moodie always closes for Memorial Day, just to give her employees a little respite before the onslaught.

The courtyard doubles Marjorie's dining capacity, but when the weather is nice, few patrons want to sit inside. The bar, positioned near the front door, becomes a holding pen for hopeful alfresco eaters.

Moodie's advice to them: "Come with a mind-set that allows for waiting."

And that's good counsel no matter where you hope to snag a seat in the sun.

So don't leave home without your patience — or your sunscreen.

Providence Cicero: providencecicero@aol.com