Nobody should have to eat alone...
We imagine a future where eating out, eating well and eating together isn’t a
privilege, but a shared ritual, an affordable, accessible part of everyday life.
This is not a new idea.
From Milk bars in Poland to Popular Restaurants in Brazil; communities are
coming together to share meals. And in our own history, during World War Two
British Restaurants - hailed as the “centres of civilization” - fed over 600,000
people a day.
Join us in bringing back the nation's mealtime by reigniting a canteen culture.
What is a Canteen Culture?
The normalisation of shared, affordable, nutritious meals in public spaces - making it easy and enjoyable for people to eat together outside the home.
Our Team
Founder of three social impact restaurants. Accredited B Leader - guiding businesses through their B Corp journey. Food Policy Masters Student at City & St. George's University.
Carly Trisk-Grove
Business & Hospitality
Research Fellow and social eating expert at the University of Nottingham Food Systems Institute. 15 years of experience working with the community food sector. Nottingham City and Notts County Sustainable Food Places Board Member.
Dr Marsha Smith
Public Health & Wellbeing
Chair in Modern World History at Liverpool Hope University, a Fellow of the Royal Historical. Society, a Churchill Lifetime Fellow, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Author of Feeding the People in Wartime Britain (Bloomsbury, 2023).
Professor Bryce Evans
Historical Context & Culture
Founded Waste Knot in 2016, as a response to the colossal amount of pre-farmgate, fresh produce wasted due to oversupply and aesthetics. Waging a war on waste.
Jess Latchford
Food Systems
CEO of Future Foundations, Founder of CanTeam, and Co-founder of Global Social Leaders. In 2023, Jonathan launched CanTeam, reimagining school canteens as community hubs.
Jonathan Harper
Civic Society & Education
Our Approach
We’ll begin with storytelling, sharing the rich history of social dining and the evidence that supports its return. Through challenge-led workshops, we’ll gather diverse voices to turn insight into action. Next, we’ll pilot real-world change, testing how canteen culture can thrive on the high street in a way that’s visible, inclusive, and scalable.
Stay in touch..
We are building a collaborative, citizen and industry-led movement, to bring social dining back to the UK.
Together, we can tackle some of society’s greatest challenges - challenges no individual or institution can solve alone.
Stay in touch or find out how to get involved and be part of long-term, transformative change.
Thank you for your support.
Stay in touch..
We are building a collaborative, citizen and industry-led movement, to bring social dining back to the UK.
Together, we can tackle some of society’s greatest challenges - challenges no individual or institution can solve alone.
Stay in touch or find out how to get involved and be part of long-term, transformative change.
Thank you for your support.