Friday 30th May marks the official opening of The Sunset Café, a warm and welcoming new space nestled inside The Townhouse Chester.
But it’s more than just a café, it’s a project built with heart, purpose, and the belief that hospitality can do far more than serve food and drinks.
The Sunset Café is a six-week pilot programme developed in partnership with Soul Kitchen Chester. Every Friday, between 11am and 3pm, it will operate as a live training café, where individuals rebuilding their lives are given the opportunity to gain real, hands-on hospitality experience in a supportive environment.
At the core of this project are two people with a shared passion for change.
Helen Booth, founder of Soul Kitchen Chester, has spent years supporting individuals experiencing homelessness and hardship. For Helen, this café is about helping people find their confidence again, offering a chance to learn new skills, connect with others, and take those first steps toward employment. It’s about restoring belief and building brighter futures.
Steven Hesketh, known by many as The Hospitality Hero, believes strongly in the power of hospitality to transform lives. He’s spent his career championing the industry not just as a business, but as a community, a support system, and a place where people can thrive.
The Sunset Café is a natural extension of that vision.
The first cohort of trainees includes four individuals, each partnered with a professional from The Townhouse team. Two are based in the kitchen, learning food prep and service and the other two are front-of-house, helping to clean down from breakfast, reset the café, and greet guests as they arrive.
It’s real work in a real venue with all the messiness, learning curves, and triumphs that come with it.
Guests who visit the café can enjoy a simple but satisfying menu, designed to be affordable and freshly made on-site.
Expect sandwiches and jacket potatoes for £5.95, with fillings like cheese, tuna or chilli, plus sausage rolls and chicken goujons priced at £6.95.
Tea, coffee, and soft drinks will be available throughout the day. And everything is served by the team taking part in the project, building confidence with every interaction.
This project is about people. It’s about dignity, trust, and opportunity. And it’s about showcasing what hospitality can do when it’s used as a tool for inclusion rather than exclusion.
Across the UK, more than 1 in 5 people face barriers to employment due to factors like mental health challenges, disrupted education, or unstable housing (Joseph Rowntree Foundation).
Programmes that offer real, supportive work experience, like The Sunset Café, don’t just benefit individuals. They contribute to a stronger society and a healthier economy.
With the UK’s shrinking workforce now costing the economy an estimated £25 billion a year, there’s never been a more urgent need to invest in inclusive employment solutions.
Hospitality, with its adaptability and people-first nature, has the power to be part of that solution.
In fact, research shows that people who have access to training and meaningful work being 50% more likely to maintain stable housing and long-term wellbeing. That’s the bigger picture behind every cup of coffee we serve.
If you’re in or around Chester, we’d love you to pop in and show your support. Every coffee purchased, every meal enjoyed, helps someone take a step forward.
The Sunset Café is now open, come and be part of the story.
📍 The Townhouse Chester
🕚 Fridays, 11am–3pm
💛 No need to book, just drop in and say hello.
If this project has sparked something in you, whether it’s curiosity, hope, or a desire to be part of meaningful change, then we’d love to invite you to our upcoming event, The Art of Hospitality.
It’s a space for ideas, action, and community. If you believe in the power of hospitality to change lives, this is where you need to be.
Join us and be part of the bigger picture.
🎟️ Free tickets available now – https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thehospitalityheroltd/1247488
Source – https://www.jrf.org.uk/work/unlocking-the-potential-of-young-people-furthest-from-the-labour-market
