Tender: The Lightbox Gallery, Woking: on-site café tender opportunity

Established in 2007, the Lightbox is an award-winning gallery and museum that presents a changing programme of visual art exhibitions, focused primarily on modern and contemporary art. Benefiting from an iconic, sustainable building in the heart of Woking, it also delivers an ambitious and innovative engagement programme of creative experiences for the local community.

The Ground floor of the gallery is free and has access to the café, shop and Art Fund Prize Gallery exhibition. A day pass ticket to visit the main and upper gallery exhibitions, as well as the Woking Story on the higher levels of the gallery is £12.50.

We welcome around 60,000 visitors to our site per year and are working hard to attract more visitors via our exhibition, events and membership programme.

The Lightbox Café

The café currently seats 45 covers and is situated on the ground floor with full level access leading out to an attractive courtyard with further café seating (currently up to 20 covers) on the banks of the Basingstoke canal. Situated within minutes of Woking town centre there are opportunities to attract passing trade and make the Lightbox café a destination in its own right.    

It has a large commercial kitchen which is offered as a franchise. We are looking to partner with a café caterer that is aligned with our objectives, the core of which is to offer an exceptional visitor experience at all levels. We are looking to increase visitor footfall and a vibrant café offer which is an attraction in its own right is key to this aim.

The Lightbox offers both private and corporate venue hire with attractive, unique spaces available. We are looking for a café caterer that can also deliver venue hire catering which can range from lunchtime finger buffets to evening event catering. There are also opportunities to cater in-house Lightbox events and be a part of our special public events such as the festive late.

If you think this opportunity could be your next venture, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please submit an expression of interest for further details, telling us why you should be our next café provider no later than Friday 4 October 2024.

We would be happy to answer any questions and conduct site tours ahead of any formal application. Please contact clare.tomlinson@thelightbox.org.uk