Our Family Café Standard is a benchmark that recognises cafés at museums and cultural attractions that are great for families.
Based on feedback from families, the standard rates cafés on the quality of their online information and promotion, space and facilities, choice of food, affordability, sustainability and staff training. It includes everything from children’s meals and activities in the café to food waste and sourcing sustainable and high welfare ingredients.
The newly accredited sites are:
- The Mess Deck Restaurant – Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent
- The Mary Rose Café – The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth
- Coffee Shop at Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery, Hampshire
- The Postal Museum Café – The Postal Museum, London
- The Senedd Café – Senedd Cymru | Welsh Parliament, Cardiff
- The Story Museum Café – The Story Museum, Oxford
- The Winding House Café – Woodhorn Museum, Northumberland
This second cohort makes a total of 28 accredited venues across the UK. The seven newly accredited cafes join 21 Benugo sites, including cafés at the Natural History Museum, London Zoo, Edinburgh Castle and St James’s Park.
We launched the Family Café Standard in July 2023 with catering company Benugo.
Alison Bowyer, Executive Director at Kids in Museums, said: “We are delighted to see the impact of the Family Café Standard continue to grow across the UK. Visiting the café is a big part of a family museum visit and it’s important that the visitor experience matches of the rest of the site. The thoughtful touches implemented by these venues will help to ensure they are as inclusive and accessible as possible. Congratulations to our newly accredited venues.”
We opened applications for accreditation in November and December 2023 through an online form on our website. Venues had to complete an assessment in January, which was then marked by the Kids in Museums Team to decide if the site successfully meets the benchmark.
Accredited venues receive a pack of accreditation materials, including the Family Café Standard logo and certificate. Accreditation with the Family Café Standard is valid for two years.
Families can give their feedback on visiting a café at the bottom of the Family Café Standard web page.
The next round of applications for accreditation will open on Tuesday 14 May 2024. Please check on the Family Café Standard web page or sign up to our Museum Mailing List to be notified when applications open.
Kids in Museums launches new café accreditation scheme in partnership with Benugo
