Method

Restaurant Day

InformOnboardingUnderstanding & Gathering PerspectivesAnalogue1 DayDirectly AffectedInterested PublicHard-to-Reach GroupsOrganised ActorsMedium Group up to 30Large Group from 30CreativePlayful

Restaurant Day is an open participation format in which people set up temporary restaurants, cafés, or food stalls for one day in public spaces, courtyards, community centres, clubs, or other suitable locations. Within a participation context, the focus is not on the food itself but on conversation. Food serves as a low-threshold opportunity to bring people together, encourage dialogue, and create new connections. Restaurant Days can activate neighbourhoods, engage new target groups, and collect ideas and opinions about places or projects. They are also often used to temporarily transform public spaces and explore new possibilities for their future use.

Goal

Restaurant Day creates opportunities for people who would not normally meet to connect and exchange ideas. Informal conversations help reveal experiences, ideas, and wishes while allowing public spaces to be tested, activated, and reimagined.

When useful?

new target groups should be reached.
people should meet and talk in a relaxed atmosphere.
neighbourhoods should be activated.
public spaces should be revitalised.
introducing people to participation through a low-threshold format.
collecting ideas and experiences about a place.

When not useful?

binding decisions need to be made.
highly specialised expertise is required.
sensitive or highly conflictual topics need to be addressed.
representative participation is required.
there are insufficient resources for organisation and coordination.

Process

Clarify the purpose of the Restaurant Day.

Possible objectives include:

strengthening neighbourhood connections
collecting ideas for a public space
activating a public area
engaging people in a project
connecting different groups

A thematic focus can be helpful but is not essential. The primary objective is to bring people together and encourage openness towards future participation projects.

The location should be accessible, visible, and welcoming.

Suitable locations include:

public squares
parks
courtyards
community centres
vacant shops
club facilities

Ensure there is sufficient space for seating and informal conversations.

Invite individuals or groups who would like to host a temporary café, food stall, or restaurant.

Possible participants include:

neighbourhood initiatives
community organisations
schools
youth groups
senior groups
local organisations
individual volunteers

A diverse group of hosts encourages a wider range of perspectives.

Before the event, address practical and legal considerations, including:

permits
food hygiene regulations
electricity supply
seating
waste disposal
weather contingency planning

To encourage dialogue alongside eating, prepare discussion prompts.

Examples include:

What do you like most about this place?
What is missing in the neighbourhood?
What changes would you like to see?
What ideas do you have for the future?

Questions can be displayed on signs, tablecloths, or moderation cards.

As part of the Stadtkontakt.mobil project at the "Zur Ortmühle" inn, the regularly organised community lunch was used as an opportunity for public participation. Instead of organising an additional event, the participation activity was intentionally integrated into an existing community gathering, following the core principles of the Restaurant Dayapproach.
The aim was to engage people where they already meet naturally and interact with one another.

During the shared lunch and the informal conversations that followed, visitors were introduced to the project and invited to take part in discussions. The conversations took place in a relaxed atmosphere and were guided by the participants' interests and personal experiences. Topics such as Smart City, public participation, and the future development of their community could be discussed without the formality of a traditional participation event.
The familiar social setting made it easier to start conversations and encouraged open and honest dialogue.

The Restaurant Day approach uses existing community gathering places as starting points for participation. People do not have to attend an additional event or consciously register for a participation process. Instead, conversations emerge naturally during everyday activities.
This makes it particularly effective for reaching people who rarely attend conventional participation events.

The existing community lunch provided a suitable setting for engaging informally with local residents. The familiar atmosphere encouraged open conversations about the community and its future development.
At the same time, the experience showed that the success of this approach depends heavily on the existing event itself. If attendance is low or the intended target group is absent, opportunities for participation are limited. External factors such as weather conditions or competing local events can also significantly influence the number of participants.

The chosen event should already attract a sufficiently large and appropriate target group. At the same time, the participation activity should be clearly visible so that visitors recognise they are welcome to contribute.
It is also important to respect the ongoing character of the existing event and to keep conversations voluntary, informal, and free from time pressure.

Participants prepare their food stalls or cafés.

The layout should encourage interaction and conversation.

Actively invite visitors to sit down, enjoy some food, and join conversations.

Hosts who welcome newcomers and introduce people to one another are particularly helpful.

Discussions take place informally.

Prepared questions can be used to collect experiences, ideas, and suggestions.

Depending on the objectives, additional participation methods may include:

pinboards
idea collection boards
feedback cards
voting activities

Record important comments, ideas, and observations throughout the event.

Suitable methods include:

written notes
photographs
mapping activities
audio recordings
short interviews

At the end of the event, present a brief summary of the main findings.

Highlight recurring themes, suggestions, and ideas for improvement.

Bring together all collected contributions and organise them.

Pay particular attention to:

recurring themes
areas of conflict
ideas
suggestions for future development

Prepare the findings in an accessible format and share them with participants.

This demonstrates the value of the conversations and makes the collected insights visible.

Photos or videos taken during the event can also be shared on social media to recognise participants' engagement.

If the Restaurant Day is part of a larger participation process, use the findings to develop further activities or participation formats.

Source: Bujdosó, A. (Ed.) (2019): Social Design Cookbook: Recipes for Social Cooperation. Budapest: Kitchen Budapest.

Notes

Tips

Plan food quantities carefully to minimise waste.
Use reusable tableware instead of disposable materials whenever possible.
Provide takeaway containers for leftover food.
If legally and organisationally feasible, donate surplus food to local charities or community organisations.
Provide clearly marked waste sorting and recycling facilities.
Schedule a collective clean-up at the end of the event.
Leave public spaces clean, tidy, and as close as possible to their original condition to maintain good relationships with residents, local authorities, and property owners.

Not suitable for

sensitive or confidential topics need to be discussed.
significant conflicts require structured conflict resolution.
there are insufficient resources for organisation, catering, or participant support.
legal or food hygiene requirements cannot be met.

Afterwards

Afterwards, methods that organise, deepen, or translate the gathered content into concrete steps are useful. Depending on the goal, the following formats can follow, for example:

Workshop

A workshop is a facilitated working session in which participants collaborate to explore a specific question, develop ideas, or create solutions. Depending on its purpose, a workshop can be used to share information, analyse problems, or develop concrete actions. Because all participants are actively involved, it is particularly well suited to the collaborative development of results.

CreativeActivating

World Café

World Café is a participatory method that encourages the open exchange of knowledge, experiences, and ideas. Participants discuss prepared questions in small groups at several tables. By regularly moving between tables, new conversation groups are formed, allowing ideas to evolve, different perspectives to be connected, and shared insights to emerge. The atmosphere is intentionally designed to resemble a café—open, informal, and welcoming. This makes the method particularly effective for engaging large numbers of people in accessible dialogue and encouraging collaborative thinking. A World Café can be held as a standalone event or as part of a larger participation process.

StructuredActivating

Future Workshop

A Future Workshop is a participatory method in which participants collaboratively analyse problems, develop visions for the future, and translate them into concrete actions. The method combines creative thinking with practical planning and is particularly suitable for topics that require innovative ideas and long-term perspectives. A Future Workshop consists of three consecutive phases: the Critique Phase, the Vision Phase, and the Implementation Phase. This structured process encourages participants to move deliberately from identifying problems to imagining desirable futures and finally to developing realistic actions. The method often leads to creative, collaboratively developed solutions.

ActivatingCreative