Mitie's catering business has officially announced the launch of Bench, its first cafe, located in the Goldsmiths' Centre in Farringdon, London.
Gather & Gather began working at the Goldsmiths’ Centre last summer, changing the nature of the food offer, preparing everything fresh on-site and injecting its street-food ethos into the operation.
Managing Director Allister Richards said, “Bench is a really exciting project for us because as well as taking the Gather & Gather concept into the high street arena for the first time, we have already proved that our approach is one that the public love as we have seen turnover at Bench treble in December 2014 compared to twelve months before.
'Bench exemplifies Gather & Gather’s approach of bringing food and people together and the importance of creating a collaborative space for the local community to interact with each other over food and coffee.'
The Goldsmiths’ Centre is an independent charity, founded by the Goldsmiths’ Company in 2007, for the professional training of goldsmiths bringing together trainee and working goldsmiths as well as those interested in jewellery, silversmithing and allied trades.
The Bench sits within the restored Grade II listed Victorian Board School with its training space, offices, meeting rooms and adjacent new four-storey building housing workshops and studios and conference space.