If you’re considering working with RTA Outdoor Living for your outdoor kitchen project… before making any final decisions, you’re going to want to see an honest review of the company.
Hence, why you’re looking for an honest review of RTA outdoor kitchens!
Now, you’re probably wondering… how can RTA Outdoor Living write an honest review about their own product? It’s true, it’s hard not to see the inherent bias there. However, we’ve done our best to keep this article as factual as possible, discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of RTA outdoor kitchens. By getting both sides of the story… you’ll be able to make an educated decision of whether or not RTA outdoor kitchens are right for you.
In this article, you’ll learn about the advantages of an RTA outdoor kitchen, the disadvantages, and whether or not RTA is right for you.
Quick Links:
- What are the Advantages of an RTA Outdoor Kitchen?
- What are the Disadvantages of an RTA Outdoor Kitchen?
- Who is an RTA Outdoor Kitchen for?
What are the Advantages of an RTA Outdoor Kitchen?
The advantages of an RTA outdoor kitchen include customization, durability, safety, easy installation, and industry-best service.
Highly Personalized & Customizable
When you’re investing in a large backyard project like an outdoor kitchen, you probably want to customize the design to your tastes. RTA outdoor kitchens are extremely customizable, and there are thousands upon thousands of different combinations available to you.
RTA pioneered the first free online design tool, which provides you with a realistic 3D rendering of your outdoor kitchen design… and from there, you’ll get to work 1-on-1 with a dedicated Design Expert to make sure the details are perfect.
Exceptional Durability & Longevity
RTA Outdoor Living uses high-performance concrete in their panels, providing the greatest potential for optimal durability and longevity of your outdoor kitchen.
The high-performance concrete used in RTA outdoor kitchens is rated for 100 years and 17,000 PSI. Just for contrast, regular sidewalk concrete is only rated for 2,500-4,000 PSI… which makes RTA’s concrete 4-6x stronger than traditional concrete.
This durability also translates to longevity and exceptional performance in even the harshest of climates. RTA outdoor kitchens were specifically engineered to withstand the rigors of a northern New England climate… rain, snow, ice, hail, high winds, rapid temperature fluctuations and all. RTA outdoor kitchens are immune to corrosion, rusting, rotting, and warping… allowing you to enjoy many years of worry-free use.
Designed with Safety in Mind
Safety and outdoor kitchens aren’t often thought of in the same sentence… but as recently as 2023, 18,000 Paradise Grills outdoor kitchens were recalled due to explosion and fire hazards. The reality of this is scary, but with proper planning, this issue can be completely avoided.
Due to the inherent safety risks of using an outdoor kitchen, all of RTA’s products are designed with your safety in mind. High-performance concrete is a non-combustible material, and every outdoor kitchen is designed with island ventilation that exceeds our appliance manufacturer’s requirements.
Easy Installation
If you don’t want to DIY an outdoor kitchen from scratch… RTA outdoor kitchens could be a great option for you. RTA outdoor kitchens arrive to your door with 95% of the work already done for you. All you need to do is bolt the panels together, place the countertop, and slide in the appliances. As long as you’re decently handy and have a couple helpers, you can install your RTA outdoor kitchen in a single afternoon.
Industry-Best Service
At RTA Outdoor Living, there’s nothing more important than making sure all of our customers are 100% satisfied with their outdoor kitchen project. As such, we devote a great deal of time and energy into ensuring the customer experience is second to none.
At every stage of the process, you will be assigned a dedicated team member who will address any and all of your needs:
- Design Expert: Will make sure your outdoor kitchen design matches your vision and is optimized for practicality and functionality
- Blueprint Liaison: Will ensure your outdoor kitchen blueprints & specs are perfect before heading over to the manufacturing facility
- Project Success Manager: Will prepare you for delivery and installation of your outdoor kitchen, and supply any assistance you may need after your outdoor kitchen project is complete
What are the Disadvantages of an RTA Outdoor Kitchen?
Disadvantages of an RTA outdoor kitchen include prohibitive cost, lack of appliance brand variety, inability to do completely custom projects, and potential DIY install challenges.
Cost may be Prohibitive
Lacking Appliance Brand Variety
All RTA outdoor kitchens come with appliances from Coyote Outdoor Living. We also offer appliances from Lynx and Hestan, but these must be specifically requested. If you want your RTA outdoor kitchen to include appliances from a different brand… we can normally accommodate this, but you will have to source the appliances yourself. If you have your heart set on non-Coyote appliances and want a single-source solution, RTA may not be the best fit in this scenario.
Cannot do Complete Custom
Although RTA outdoor kitchens are exceptionally customizable, not every design is possible! If you want a two tier bar island or anything curved… RTA won’t be able to make this happen for you.
DIY Install isn’t for Everyone
While it’s true that RTA has done their best to streamline the installation process… not everyone wants a DIY outdoor kitchen. We do have a network of Pro Installers across the country to help handle this task for you, but we also understand that not everyone may want to deal with an added layer of complexity.
Who is an RTA Outdoor Kitchen for?
Now that you’ve seen the honest advantages and disadvantages of an RTA outdoor kitchen… hopefully, you’re getting a good sense of where you stand. But you may still have a lingering question: Who is an RTA outdoor kitchen for?
An RTA outdoor kitchen will be good for you if:
- You want a custom outdoor kitchen, and don’t need curves or two tier bar islands
- You want to invest in a long-term outdoor kitchen solution
- You want the peace of mind that your outdoor kitchen is safely designed
- You want a simple, DIY assembly process (or you don’t mind hiring a Pro Installer to handle it)
- You want a high-touch, 1-on-1 customer support and design experience
- You have a flexible budget
If you find yourself nodding in agreement with all the above points… it’s likely an RTA outdoor kitchen is a good fit for you. But where should you start? The best place to begin is by submitting a design using our free online design tool, and we’ll be in touch with you from there. Happy designing!
