What The Chatty Cafe Scheme does

The Chatty Cafe Scheme is a UK-registered Community Interest Company (CIC, company number 12111574) that runs a community intervention to reduce social isolation and loneliness by encouraging cafes, pubs, restaurants, libraries, community centres, hospitals, retirement homes, and other social venues to designate at least one table where customers can sit and converse with strangers. The scheme was founded in April 2017 in Greater Manchester by Alex Hoskyn after she experienced social isolation as a new mother on leave from work. There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering consists of the core Chatty Cafe / Chatter & Natter / Talking Tables initiative, a self-serve venue registration service (Add Your Venue), and a volunteer program (Chatty Volunteers), all coordinated through a WordPress-based global site and country-specific websites for the UK and Australia.

The scheme is free for both venues and customers, and there is no pricing structure or disclosed revenue model; the organisation appears to rely on volunteer effort, donations, and grants typical of a micro-charity. Its go-to-market is community-led: venues self-register through the website, volunteers are recruited online, and awareness is driven through organic social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), the website, and word-of-mouth referrals. Notable participating venues publicly endorsing the scheme include Costa Coffee, Sainsbury's, the National Trust, and Squire's Garden Centres in the UK, as well as small Australian cafes such as Éclair Boulangerie Patisserie and Paperboy Coffee Bar.

The scheme operates a small core team of approximately seven employees and has expanded to six countries — the UK (flagship, 2017), Australia (2019), the United States (2022), Canada (currently paused due to the pandemic), Gibraltar, and Poland — with a stated ambition to reach every country by 2030. As a non-profit social enterprise, the operating model is deliberately low-cost and simple: a designated table, a conversation, and a volunteer network, with no monetised product contracts, disclosed funding rounds, or measurable revenue base in the public record.

Name

The Chatty Cafe Scheme

Legal name

The Chatty Cafe Scheme Community Interest Company (CIC)

Website

https://thechattycafescheme.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Chatty Cafe Scheme is a UK-based Community Interest Company that operates a global network of designated 'Chatty' tables in cafes, restaurants, and community venues to combat social isolation. Founded in 2017, the volunteer-run scheme spans six countries and is free for both venues and customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Wellbeing Programs

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Coworking Cafes / Work Cafes (THAFADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social/Free-to-Play Bingo Lounges (In-Venue) (MPAEAGAC)

Keywords

• Social isolation programs
• Community connection initiatives
• Loneliness reduction schemes
• Venue-based conversation programs
• Anti-loneliness campaigns

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Venue Participation (Free): The Chatty Cafe Scheme operates as a Community Interest Company (CIC) and does not charge venues to participate. The scheme is free for venues to join and for customers to use. Revenue generation is not explicitly described in available materials; the organization appears to rely on volunteer effort and may receive donations or grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Chatty Cafe Scheme is a Community Interest Company that encourages cafes, pubs, restaurants, libraries, community centres, and other social venues to designate a 'Chatty' or 'Chatter & Natter' table where customers can sit and chat with strangers to combat social isolation and loneliness. Founded in April 2017 by Alex Hoskyn, the scheme operates free of charge across six countries (UK, Australia, USA, Canada, Gibraltar, Poland) and relies on volunteer effort and venue partnerships to deliver its mission.

Product overview

The Chatty Cafe Scheme is a single, unified community initiative rather than a software platform. Founded in April 2017, it operates the Chatty Cafe / Chatter & Natter / Talking Tables program — a simple social intervention where participating venues designate tables for customers willing to chat with strangers. The scheme has expanded to six countries (UK, Australia, USA, Canada, Gibraltar, Poland) with ambitions to reach every country by 2030. The offering consists of the core Chatty Table initiative, a venue registration service (Add Your Venue), and a volunteer program (Chatty Volunteers) — all serving the mission of reducing social isolation through in-person conversation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chatty Tables (Chatty Cafe / Chatter & Natter / Talking Tables)
• Add Your Venue

Quantifiable outcome

• The scheme has grown rapidly since April 2017 and now operates in six countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Costa CoffeecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCosta Coffee participates in the Chatty Cafe Scheme by hosting Chatty tables in their stores. Victoria Moorhouse, Head of Sustainability at Costa Coffee, has publicly endorsed the initiative, stating the company understands the importance of conversation and wants to help make it simple for customers to open up and have friendly chats that bring local people together.
• The National TrustcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe National Trust participates in the scheme, with John Orna-Ornstein, Director of Culture and Engagement, publicly supporting the initiative. While acknowledging they are not a social-work charity, he recognizes the organization's role in connecting people, supporting wellbeing, and giving people healthy lives.
• Sainsbury'scoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSainsbury's hosts 'Chatter & Natter/Talking Tables' in their stores as part of the scheme. Judith Batchelar, Director of Sainsbury's Brand, referenced the Living Well Index showing community connections are key drivers of wellbeing, expressing hope that bringing people together in store spaces can help people connect to their communities.
• Squire's Garden CentrescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSquire's Garden Centres participates in the scheme with Chatty tables. Chairman Sarah Squire has publicly endorsed the initiative, highlighting the importance of face-to-face conversation in the age of social media and welcoming anyone who wants real social interaction to join the Chatter & Natter table.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Befriending Networks: UK umbrella body supporting befriending services that pair volunteers with isolated individuals for regular social contact. Comparable as a free, volunteer-driven, UK loneliness-intervention peer addressing the same problem via structured human connection.
• Campaign to End Loneliness: UK charity focused on research, policy, and intervention design around loneliness. Comparable as a UK loneliness-mission peer operating in the same policy and funder ecosystem, though it focuses on advocacy and research rather than venue-based delivery.
• The Big Lunch: Eden Project-run annual community meal initiative encouraging neighbors to eat together on a single day. Comparable to the Chatty Cafe Scheme as both create structured opportunities for everyday social interaction at the hyper-local level, free to participate, and reliant on community momentum rather than proprietary technology.
• The Cares Family: UK charity connecting younger professionals with older neighbours through social clubs and shared activities to reduce isolation. Comparable as a directly mission-aligned UK loneliness peer with a venue-and-activity-based intervention model and corporate volunteer partnerships.
• The Silver Line: Free 24/7 helpline for older people in the UK experiencing loneliness, run by Age UK. Directly comparable mission and free-at-point-of-use delivery model, although it operates via telephone rather than physical venue networks.
• Men's Sheds: UK-based network of community workshop spaces that combat isolation (primarily among older men) by giving members a shared place to gather, build, and converse. Directly comparable in mission (loneliness reduction), operating model (volunteer-led, free at point of use, venue-based), and target population overlap with the Chatty Cafe Scheme.
• Time Banks UK: UK network of community time-exchange schemes where members trade hours of service to build reciprocal social connections. Comparable as a UK-based, free-to-join, community-network peer tackling isolation through grassroots social infrastructure.
• Marmalade Trust: UK loneliness charity running awareness campaigns (Loneliness Awareness Week) and direct support services. Comparable as a UK-based, mission-aligned peer tackling the same core problem; both rely on corporate partnerships and volunteer mobilization.

Broad incumbents

• Age UK: Large UK charity addressing loneliness and social isolation among older adults through befriending services, campaigns, and policy work. A broader incumbent in the same loneliness mission space with significantly greater resources, scale, and funder relationships, including ownership of The Silver Line.
• Eden Project Communities: Programme arm of the Eden Project supporting community connection initiatives (including The Big Lunch). Broader incumbent operating multiple community-building programmes with similar free, volunteer-led models and funder ecosystem overlap with the Chatty Cafe Scheme.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chattycafe
• Facebookfacebook.com/Chattycafe
• Instagraminstagram.com/thechattycafe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-chatty-cafe-scheme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Chatty Cafe Scheme