Digbeth Dining Club

What Digbeth Dining Club does

Digbeth Dining Club (DDC) is a Birmingham-headquartered, privately-held street food events and venue operator founded in 2012 by James Swinburne, trading as JBJS Events. The company operates a two-sided marketplace model: it curates a network of 80+ vetted independent street food traders (requiring 4-star+ hygiene ratings) and provides them with access to high-footfall trading locations, while consumers and corporate clients access a curated, multi-venue street food and events experience across the West Midlands and beyond.

The platform-plus-venues business comprises four permanent locations — Hockley Social Club (a 10,000 sq ft food hall in Birmingham opened April 2021), Herberts Yard (South Birmingham, opened December 2021), Dockworks Waterfront (Brierley Hill canalside venue, opened 2024), and Cofa's Social (Coventry, rebranded May 2023) — supplemented by a touring calendar of pop-up dining events at 35+ external venues including Warwick Castle, Powderham Castle, Black Country Living Museum, and Attingham Park. The company runs complementary event series (Comedy at the Castle, Closeup Comedy, Open Arms beer garden, Club Tropicana quizzes) and operates the non-profit Digbeth Dining Club CIC and the WMCA Street Food Incubator Programme in partnership with NCASS.

DDC monetises through four primary revenue streams: ticketed admission to dining events (£3-£14 per person) sold via Skiddle; food and beverage sales across venue bars and food courts; corporate private venue hire (events of 20 to 4,000 attendees); and trader participation fees from its vetted vendor network. The company has no proprietary technology platform — operations are built around physical venues, event programming, and standard event-management tooling. It is multi-award-winning (Best Street Food Event in the UK in 2013 and 2014) and runs with a leadership team led by Founder James Swinburne and Director Jack Brabant alongside dedicated Heads of Events, Operations, Commercial, Marketing, and Bars, and venue-level General Managers.

Name

Digbeth Dining Club

Legal name

JBJS Events (T/a Digbeth Dining Club)

Website

https://digbethdiningclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Digbeth Dining Club is a Birmingham-based street food events and venue operator curating 80+ vetted independent traders across four permanent venues and 35+ touring pop-up events throughout the UK, serving consumers, corporate clients, and heritage venue partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Street Food Events & Hospitality Venues

NAICS

Mobile Food Services (72233), Caterers (722320), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Festivals & Culinary Events (Ticketed Tastings, Pop-ups) (THAJAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pop-Up Food Vendors (Temporary Stands/Markets) (THAFAHAE), Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties) (THAFAIAB), Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led) (MPAGAEAF)

Keywords

• Street food events
• Pop-up dining
• Food festivals
• Event venues
• Street food traders

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: DDC charges admission to dining club events (e.g., Solihull Dining Club £3 adults/£1.50 children; Castle Bromwich Dining Club £6 adults/£3 children; comedy events from £8-£14; Attingham Dining Club £6 adults/£3 children; Lichfield Dining Club £3 adults/£1.50 children). Tickets are sold via Skiddle and on-the-door.
2. Venue Hire / Private Events: DDC offers all its spaces for private hire for corporate events, Christmas parties, conferences, drinks receptions, and large-scale events. Events range from 20 people to 4,000 attendees. The corporate venue hire team plans and manages these bookings.
3. Trader Participation Fees: Street food traders join DDC's network of 80+ vetted vendors. Traders gain access to consistent work 52 weeks a year, corporate weekday opportunities, and exposure to over half a million annual visitors. Traders likely pay participation or commission fees to trade at DDC venues and events.
4. Food & Beverage Sales: DDC's venues (Hockley Social Club, Herberts Yard, Dockworks Waterfront) operate bars and food courts with multiple resident traders, generating revenue from food and drink sales to event attendees and walk-in customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Digbeth Dining Club operates street food events and hospitality venues in Birmingham, UK. Operating as the trading name of JBJS Events (founded 2012), the company curates and hosts pop-up dining experiences featuring a network of 80+ vetted street food traders across multiple permanent venues including Hockley Social Club, Herberts Yard, Dockworks Waterfront, and Cofa's Social.

Product overview

Digbeth Dining Club is a multi-award-winning events and venue operator that operates as a platform-plus-venues model. The core offering includes the Digbeth Dining Club touring street food event series that brings rotating independent food traders to venues across the Midlands. This is complemented by permanent venue operations including Hockley Social Club (a 10,000 sq ft food-hall with 4 resident kitchens), Herberts Yard (South Birmingham street food destination with 8 rotating traders), Dockworks Waterfront (canalside venue in Brierley Hill), and Cofa’s Social (Coventry). Additional services include private venue hire for corporate events, the WMCA Street Food Incubator Programme for trader development, and event series such as Comedy at the Castle and Closeup Comedy nights. The company also runs the Open Arms beer garden at Warwick Castle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hockley Social Club: A 10,000 sq ft arts, music, food and drinks venue in Birmingham's historic Hockley district, featuring 4 resident kitchens, a record store, coffee shop, outdoor terrace, three bars, and the 150-capacity Artum performance space.
• Herberts Yard
• Dockworks Waterfront
• Cofa's Social
• Street Food Incubator Programme

Products and services

• Hockley Social Club A permanent street food venue operated by Digbeth Dining Club in Birmingham, hosting rotating food traders and drinks in an outdoor/indoor casual dining setting for the general public.
• Herberts Yard A permanent street food venue in Birmingham operated by Digbeth Dining Club, featuring curated food traders, bars, and event programming for consumer visitors.
• Dockworks Waterfront A waterfront street food venue operated by Digbeth Dining Club, hosting food traders and events in a destination dining location.
• Cofa's Social A venue operated by Digbeth Dining Club offering street food experiences with curated traders for consumers.
• Street Food Trader Network A curated network of 80+ vetted street food traders who operate at Digbeth Dining Club venues and events, with traders paying participation fees for access to venues, customers, and event programming.
• Corporate Venue Hire & Private Events Bespoke venue hire and private event services offered by Digbeth Dining Club for corporate clients, brand activations, and private celebrations across its portfolio of Birmingham venues.
• Ticketed Street Food Events Pop-up street food events run by Digbeth Dining Club where individual consumers purchase tickets to attend curated food and drink experiences featuring multiple traders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500,000+ visitors per year at DDC venues and events
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NCASS (The Nationwide Caterers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025NCASS and Digbeth Dining Club were jointly appointed by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to deliver the WMCA Street Food Incubator Programme. NCASS brings industry expertise while DDC contributes its decade-long experience championing independent street food talent. The programme supports 36 emerging traders from across the region with training, workshops, mentoring, and live trading opportunities from October–December 2025 (training) and February–April 2026 (live trading).
• West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025WMCA launched the Street Food Incubator Programme and appointed DDC and NCASS to deliver it. The programme aims to support and grow the West Midlands' independent food businesses, addressing a key priority for the WMCA Mayor and regional partners. WMCA funds and backs the programme while DDC and NCASS execute delivery.
• Closeup ComedycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCloseup Comedy is the production partner for comedy events at DDC's venues and at external locations. DDC hosts Closeup Comedy residencies at Herberts Yard (South Birmingham's #1 comedy night) and Dockworks Waterfront. Closeup Comedy also produces the Comedy at the Castle series at Warwick Castle and Powderham Castle, with DDC providing the street food offering.
• Jack Brabant (Director, DDC)coreOthersJack Brabant, Director of Digbeth Dining Club, is quoted as championing the WMCA incubator programme and the brand's decade-long role in shaping the West Midlands' food culture.
• Alan Fox (CEO, NCASS)minorOthersAlan Fox, CEO of NCASS, added commentary supporting the WMCA Street Food Incubator, emphasising NCASS's commitment to helping caterers and entrepreneurs in the West Midlands grow their businesses.
• Jords QuizzesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJords Quizzes hosts the Club Tropicana Summer Quiz at Herberts Yard and Dockworks Waterfront. The quiz nights (£3 entry per person, teams up to 6, £100 cash prize) are part of DDC's regular entertainment programming.
• Dan Lee / Dai Pai DongcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMasterChef: The Professionals winner Dan Lee launched his street food concept 'Dai Pai Dong' as a permanent resident at Hockley Social Club from October 2023. Described by Michelin-star chef Marcus Wareing as 'a star in the making', Dan's South East Asian-inspired menu (BBQ Szechuan Lamb Flatbread, Soy Steamed Chicken, etc.) is available Thursday–Sunday. This residency followed a successful 4-month trial, cementing DDC's ability to attract and retain top culinary talent.
• Birmingham Royal BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBirmingham Royal Ballet performs sell-out shows at Hockley Social Club's 900-capacity venue. This is a flagship cultural partnership bringing world-class ballet to a non-traditional venue, underlining DDC's role as a multi-dimensional arts and entertainment destination.
• City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBSO has appeared at Hockley Social Club as part of the venue's cultural programming, performing to audiences in the non-traditional arts and food hall setting.
• Hockley Social Club (Venue)coreOthersDDC operates Hockley Social Club as its flagship venue — a 10,000 sq ft space on the site of a former industrial printworks in Birmingham's historic Hockley manufacturing district. The venue houses 4 kitchens, 3 bars, a coffee shop, record store, and the 150-capacity Artum performance space. Employs 80-100 staff. Home to Birmingham Royal Ballet performances, Closeup Comedy, jazz nights, and masterclasses.
• Digbeth Dining Club CIC (Non-profit arm)coreOthersDigbeth Dining Club CIC is the non-profit community interest company under the DDC umbrella. It undertakes cooking workshops, provides hot food for vulnerable people, delivers education and training, and presents community fun days across Birmingham and the Midlands. It is the community impact vehicle of the DDC group.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• KERB (Kerb Events): London-based street food operator running markets, food halls, and incubator programmes (KERB InKERBator). Highly comparable to DDC's trader marketplace and community-led model, including a parallel focus on supporting emerging food entrepreneurs.
• Mercato Metropolitano: Multi-location street food market and community hub operator with permanent sites in London and Italy. Comparable to DDC's permanent food-hall venues with rotating independent traders, bars, and event programming.
• Market Hall (Market Halls): UK-based permanent food hall operator with multiple London sites featuring curated street food traders, bars, and event programming. Direct competitor to DDC's permanent venue strategy.
• Street Feast: London-based street food market and venue operator running permanent sites (e.g., Hawker House, Model Market) and touring events. Closest direct peer to DDC given the shared model of curating independent street food traders in themed venues and event formats.
• Hawker Market / Hawker House: Street Feast-operated permanent street food market concept in London featuring rotating independent traders, bars, and themed nights. Highly comparable to DDC's permanent venue offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Time Out Market: Globally scaled food hall brand operated by Time Out Group, curating top-rated chefs and restaurants under one roof. Operates at much larger scale and brand recognition than DDC but competes for similar consumer occasions and event-driven dining demand.

Regional players

• Taste of London: Premium ticketed food festival series featuring restaurant pop-ups and chef demonstrations. Comparable to DDC's ticketed dining club events but focused on London and the restaurant scene rather than independent street food traders.

Emerging players

• The Big Feastival: Annual food and music festival hosted on Alex James' farm in the Cotswolds. Comparable to DDC's touring festival and event formats (combining street food with music/comedy) but operates as a single annual event rather than year-round programming.
• So Feast / Night Market operators: Smaller UK street food night market and pop-up event operators. Comparable to DDC's touring Dining Club event format, though typically operating at smaller scale and without the permanent venue infrastructure DDC has built.

Others

• Bill's Restaurants / The Breakfast Club (food hall concepts): Adjacent food and beverage venue operators in the UK with curated multi-format offerings (cafés, bars, events). Useful comparables for permanent venue unit economics, though they operate as single-brand concepts rather than the multi-trader marketplace model that defines DDC.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DigbethDiner
• Facebookfacebook.com/DigbethDiningClub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digbeth-dining-club

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Digbeth Dining Club