The UK's Grand Summer Outdoor Cafe

In April 2020, we began our #UKGrandOutdoorCafe journey with the vision of turning the UK’s pavements and streets into fabulous al fresco dining areas – safely re-starting the hospitality industry and allowing the public to enjoy physically distanced meals and drinks outside during the Summer.

We are delighted to share the news that our campaign was a success! The government has passed the Business and Planning Act 2020, legislation to set up a fast-track approval for restaurants and bars to set up tables and chairs in spaces outside of their premises. They will also be dropping the usual 28 day consultation period, supporting already permitted restaurants, bars and pubs with alcohol licenses to sell drinks for the public to take away. The public consultation period will be seven days, followed by a seven day determination period meaning the approval would be granted within two weeks. The application fees are capped at £100.

Over 150 restaurants, pub, bar and café operators representing over 1,000 venues UK wide pledged their support for the campaign including The Piano Works, Prezzo, Pizza Express, D&D Restaurants, The Breakfast Club, Mission Mars, Revolution Bars, Dirty Martini, Brat and Kiln, along with industry bodies including UKHospitality and the Night Time Industries Association.

Design My Night have joined the campaign, offering up their Soda platform free of charge for participating operators to sell £25 gift vouchers to their customers. Operators will be offering their voucher at face value and are either adding a complimentary small glass of wine, small beer or single spirit and mixer, or doubling your £25 spend so your £25 voucher is worth £50. £2.50 of these vouchers will be donated towards free vouchers which the UK Grand Summer Outdoor Café is making available to key works through the Blue Light Card.

Leading tech marketing companies Eagle Eye Solutions and Wireless Social are supporting the campaign by turning donations into food and drink vouchers for the 150 participating venues and sending these directly to frontline workers via Blue Light Card App – a UK wide reward and discount network for our emergency services, NHS and care home workers.

A key part of the campaign now is fundraising for food and drink vouchers, so our NHS and frontline heroes can enjoy a well-earned, complimentary experience at the Grand Outdoor Café.