What does “community café” really mean — and does it apply to every café?
According to research in the UK, the term “community café” typically refers to cafés that meet some or all of the following criteria: they offer affordable food, often at lower-than-commercial rates or even “pay-as-you-feel”; they provide healthy or fresh food options; they engage volunteers (sometimes people facing barriers); they deliver training or skill-building (such as cooking, budgeting or volunteering); they promote social connection and inclusion; and they operate on a not-for-profit or social-enterprise basis. Food Exeter+2southdevonfoodalliance.adoddle.org+2
For example:
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A factsheet by Teign CVS explains that community cafés and lunch clubs aim to provide affordable meals, reduce isolation, and bring people together in a warm, local space. southdevonfoodalliance.adoddle.org
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A good-practice guide states that although volunteers run many community cafes and serve disadvantaged communities, their financial viability can be fragile. ymcageorgewilliams.uk+1
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In one classic definition, a community café is distinguished by its mission (social, inclusive, community-led) rather than simply by being a café. Food Exeter+1
Given all that, we might ask: “Aren’t all cafés, by virtue of being local gathering places, effectively community cafés?” The short answer is: they could be, but there’s a meaningful distinction worth exploring.
So: Do all cafés qualify as community cafés?
Not necessarily. A café in a high-street location targeting affluent customers, with no explicit social mission or community engagement element, would more likely be a commercial café. It might still serve as a social hub (where people meet and chat), but it isn’t designed primarily to have community impact.
However, I would argue that the spirit of a community café — of connection, inclusion, local belonging — is present in many cafés, if organisations are open to it. That’s why I opened with the question: “Aren’t all cafés, community cafés?” Because in many ways, the local café already has the infrastructure of community: a gathering place, conversation, comfort, shared food and drink. The difference is subtle but essential: in a community café context, those elements are consciously nurtured and designed.
Why this matters for Community Together CIC
At Community Together CIC, we believe that community happens where people meet — in homes, halls, parks, streets, and yes, cafés. A café doesn’t have to carry the label “community café” to foster a sense of belonging. But when it does — when the mission is clear and the business model supports social goals — the impact can be profound.
Here are three ways this perspective helps us shape our work:
1. Recognising everyday community spaces
We don’t wait for a formal “community café” sign to recognise the value of a space. Whether it’s a social enterprise coffee-bar, a church hall café, or a pop-up in a community centre, if the space fosters connection, belongs to local people, and invites participation, it is a community space in practice. We can support and amplify the best of these.
2. Encouraging cafés to adopt a community mission
For cafés that want to go further: embedding volunteering, local people training, social pricing, and accessibility for disadvantaged people — these become ways to transform a café into a true community hub. The research shows that this matters: for example, cafés that deliver social purposes often rely on different income mixes and volunteer structures. powertochange.org.uk+1
3. Measuring impact beyond turnover
If we only measure cafés by sales numbers, we miss their community value. If we measure how many people feel less isolated, how many volunteers gained skills, and how many people connected with others, we start to capture the “community café” impact. The toolkit used in the REFUSE CIC study is a valuable model. Newcastle University
A working definition for us
As part of our work, we adopt the principles of a Community Cafe at our own The Helping Hand Cafe, which is open 7 days per week and three late evenings.
A “community café” is a café or food-service space that, in addition to serving food and drink, is deliberately oriented to bringing people together, supporting local belonging and inclusion, offering accessible pricing or participation, and reinvesting in community benefits rather than pure commercial profit.
By that definition, we might say: if a café serves customers efficiently, that’s fine — but it is not automatically a community café in the fullest sense. The distinguishing factor is purpose and practice, not just place.
We have also developed a manual to assist cafes, individuals or VCSE groups on how to set up their own Community Cafe following the principles. Click the picture to download your copy today.
Closing thoughts
Yes — in a sense, all cafés have community potential. But not all cafés actively engage that potential. For us at Community Together CIC, the café model is not just about coffee and cake: it’s about connection, belonging, and local resilience. It’s about a space where someone feels welcome, someone finds a conversation, someone else learns a new skill, and a group of people builds something together.
So the next time you walk into a café, pause and ask: Is this just a café or is it a community café? And if you’re involved in one, ask: Could it be more of a community café than it is now?
Because when we bring café vibes + community mission together, we build more than places — we make life.
Thank you for reading. I look forward to continuing our journey together to strengthen community spaces, wherever they meet.