Reach more customers. Support your community.

Register – Start by creating your Chatty Cafe account (please only complete the registration if you are signing up on behalf of the venue).

If you’re not in the UK, please be sure to join The Chatty Cafe Scheme in your country. If you already have a venue listed with us, you can login to update it here.

Why join the scheme?

The Chatty Café Scheme started in 2017 as a way to encourage conversations between people in spaces such as cafés. This involves having a sign on designated tables, as ‘Chatter & Natter’ tables, for customers to sit at if they are willing to have conversations with other people. What began as a Chatter & Natter table in Oldham in 2017 has expanded to a network of over 850 venues across the country.

A well established Chatter & Natter table can become a regular place for local people to meet each week, simply to get together and chat. There is no agenda or topics to these sessions, they are all about facilitating opportunities for human interaction and hopefully tackling loneliness at the same time.

We know Chatter & Natter tables work best when they are hosted by volunteers, who promote the sessions within their local area. To help find a volunteer to host the Chatter & Natter table, the venue promotes the role within their cafe and hopefully a customer(s) will come forward to help.

The Chatty Cafe Scheme provides training to the volunteer(s) before they start hosting their Chatter & Natter table. Their role is to be a friendly face at the table and encourage others to join. If a volunteer does not come forward,  a member of staff at the venue can take on the role of table host.

Benefits to venues joining the scheme and offering a Chatter & Natter table, can lead to:

• • Increased footfall and repeat business
  • The opportunity to attract more customers outside peak hours
  • Great promotional exposure on social media, newspaper articles, blogs, etc
  • Playing a key role in connecting communities and tackling loneliness

After registering to join the scheme, the venue will receive a very lovingly put together pack which contains:

• • 2 table talkers; signs to put on the designated table(s)
  • 2 A4 posters
  • Leaflets
  • Window stickers

The venue listing will be shown on our website and promoted across our social media platforms.

TO JOIN THE SCHEME, PLEASE ENSURE YOU CAN: 

1. Identify a specific day and time that your Chatter & Natter table will be available on a weekly basis. (If this isn’t available when you sign up, please ensure it is updated as soon as you know – we want your venue’s details to be as accurate and helpful as possible!)
2. Ensure you have a staff member or volunteer to help host the Chatter & Natter table by greeting customers and facilitating conversation during Chatter & Natter sessions each week, especially in the first few weeks when you start the table.
3. Display Chatty Café signage (included in your pack) in/ around the café area, as well as agreeing to actively promote your Chatter & Natter table in appropriate local spaces (ie. posters on community boards) and via social media (Facebook, Instagram, twitter, etc).
4. Nominate a staff member on the registration page and provide us with their email/phone contact information – someone who will be happy to be the Chatty Café contact at your venue and update us on the progress of your Chatter & Natter table.
5. Encourage the table host to take photos and forward to Chatty Café on a regular basis to be added to our website and social media to help promote your Chatter & Natter table. Consent would be required from those sitting at the table, before sharing pictures.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM US

1. Training and support for the Chatter & Natter table host – we can fully onboard your member of staff or volunteer to be ready to set up and host your Chatter & Natter table, including an induction, safeguarding training, carrying out ID checks and obtaining a reference.
2. Support to create posters and leaflets to help promote your Chatter & Natter table.
3. Invitations to training sessions ran by Chatty Café staff and volunteers on ways to promote your Chatter & Natter table, including ideas for conversation starters and more.
4. Regular zoom sessions providing peer support for venues to share ideas /experiences and support each other.
5. Chatty Café to check in with the venue on a 3 monthly basis to ensure any issues or difficulties are highlighted and dealt with.