The British springtime is notoriously unpredictable, even before we reach the stage of April showers - Easter is relatively early in 2016, and with no way of knowing what the Easter weekend weather will bring, it's wise to make sure outdoor furniture is prepared either way.
If the sun shines and temperatures rise, it could prove to be the first beer-garden-friendly public holiday of the year, and after an unsettled weather cooped up with little natural sunlight, many people are likely to take the chance to sit outside - even if they have to keep their coats on while they do so.
These days, there is also the issue of accommodating smokers, who cannot light up indoors, and you should make sure your outdoor furniture includes a clearly designated smoking area, if you do not permit smoking throughout your beer garden.
Of course, smokers will go out for a cigarette whatever the weather, so make sure your outdoor furniture is in suitable condition for this even if the weather isn't good enough for people to use your beer garden for other purposes over Easter.
So what needs to be done? Wooden furniture is always a good place to start, particularly if it has been left outside throughout the winter - so give it a full clean down and check for any sign of rot or of timbers that have cracked or splintered due to the expansion of water freezing into ice within the grain.
If timber is too badly damaged, you may need to replace the furniture - or in some cases you may be able to simply replace the table top - and in either case you have the choice of traditional wooden furniture again, or metal tables, or manmade materials that will be resistant to future rain and easy to wipe clean.
Existing tables and chairs in such materials should require little maintenance, just a quick clean of the seats and table tops to get them ready for use again, and perhaps of the legs too if you want to make sure customers do not get dirty when brushing against them.