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Benugo and Kids in Museums, a charity dedicated to making museums open and welcoming to all children, young people, and families, celebrate one-year of the Family Café Standard accreditation. Since its launch, the scheme has expanded, with more venues across the UK signing up to ensure their café offerings are accessible, affordable, and family-friendly.
Sophie McCready, Partnerships & ESG Director, Benugo, comments: “We are proud to celebrate one year of our partnership with Kids in Museums. Over the past year, we’ve seen growing interest in the Family Café Standard, with more museums and cultural institutions recognising the importance of family-friendly café experiences. This accreditation has not only set a new industry benchmark but also encouraged venues to evaluate the cost, quality, and accessibility of their food offerings.”
Sophie adds: “We continue to work closely with Kids in Museums to ensure that families feel welcomed, offering affordable and accessible options in our venues across the UK.”
Alison Bowyer, Executive Director of Kids in Museums, said: “Congratulations to the growing number of visitor attractions that have achieved our Family Café Standard over the past year. The commitment these venues have shown has made a real difference to the family experience in museums. We’re thrilled to see the momentum building around this benchmark, and we look forward to even more institutions adopting the standard in the year to come. Our partnership with Benugo has been instrumental in making cafés and restaurants at the UK’s leading cultural institutions more welcoming and accessible for families.”
Since its launch, the cafés to have gained accreditation include those at the British Museum in London, Edinburgh Castle, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and most recently the V&A in South Kensington. New venues across the UK have also signed up to the Family Café Standard, with many working towards accreditation over the next year.
The Kids in Museums Family Café Standard is a benchmark that recognises museum cafés that cater excellently to families. Visiting a museum café is a major part of a family’s overall experience, and it’s crucial that the café complements the quality of the wider museum visit.
The specifications are based on feedback Kids in Museums has received from families through its family judges for the annual Family Friendly Museum Award, consultations for the Kids in Museums Manifesto, and a survey of family museum visitors in summer 2021.
The cost of food and drink at museums, along with the availability of healthy family-friendly options, was identified as a major barrier to family visits. In a survey by Kids in Museums, 78% of families said they only “sometimes” or “rarely” found food in museum cafés affordable, and only 22% felt they offered a good variety of children’s food.
Developed in partnership with Benugo, the Family Café Standard rates museum cafés on key areas including online information, space and facilities, food choices, affordability, sustainability, and staff training.
The Family Café Standard is now open to independent museum cafés and café chains across the UK. For further information, visit the Kids in Museums website: www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk
Benugo continues to lead the way, being the first catering company to receive this accreditation and paving the way for more to join in the future.
