There are hundreds of cafes and catering businesses around Australia that are social enterprises. They vary greatly in their style of business, but their common aim is to achieve a social or community purpose through running a cafe or restaurant or hotel or catering business.

They include:

• Cafes in housing estates or neighbourhoods established as a focal point for community

• Cafes and catering businesses as a source of employment for particular groups of people 

• Cafes linked with information centres/gateways as a means of community outreach

• Cafes and restaurants as income generation units within service organisations and institutions

• Hotels and restaurants established as community ventures or as community buyouts in small towns

• Cafes and catering businesses established in training organisations

This forum will bring together people running these ventures to exchange ideas and experiences, and to explore possible areas of collaboration. 

We are also interested in individuals and groups who are considering setting up a venture like these to explore ways of getting started and succeeding without having to re-invent the wheel. 

• Managers and staff of community cafes and catering businesses

• Service organisations and institutions who run a cafe or catering business

• Disability and mental health consumers, families and organisations who run a cafe or catering businesses

• Employment support and training organisations who run a cafe or catering business

• People wanting to set up a community cafe or catering business

• Philanthropists and social investors wishing to establish relationships in this sector

• Private sector operators in the catering and hospitality industries wishing to support social enterprises

• bulk purchasing

• shared business services

• group training 

• group marketing

  DIARY