Our approach to Launching The Lightbox Gallery Cafe in Woking

At Hello Consulting Limited , we are passionate about delivering outstanding food and beverage experiences that complement and enhance the venues they serve. Our recent collaboration with Peepal UK to support the launch of The Lightbox Gallery Café located on the ground floor of the The Lightbox gallery and museum Woking was a brilliant example of partnership working to bring a vibrant café offer to life in a unique cultural setting

Here’s how we approached this exciting project and the principles that guided our consultancy.

1. Understanding the Venue and Its Audience

The Lightbox is a highly regarded local gallery and museum, attracting a diverse visitor base—from art lovers and families to students and tourists. Working closely with both the Lightbox team, we focused on creating an offer that would complement the gallery’s purpose: an accessible, welcoming, and community-oriented café space.

2. Focused on Operations and F&B Strategy

It’s important to note that our role did not include any design, furniture, or decoration decisions. Our focus was on supporting the operational side and ensuring that the food and beverage offer matched the expectations of visitors and aligned with the gallery’s cultural values.

3. Crafting a Balanced, Local Menu

We developed a menu based on our principles of:

• Using quality ingredients and supporting local suppliers across Surrey and the South East.

• Providing a range of options to meet dietary preferences, including vegan and gluten-free

• Offering freshly prepared sandwiches, light meals, artisan cakes, and premium hot beverages

The aim was to complement the gallery experience by offering relaxed, informal dining that added value to the overall visitor journey.

4. Preparing the Team and Operations for Success

A critical part of our consultancy was:

• Recruiting and supporting the training of the café team

• Advising on back-of-house set-up and food safety systems

• Providing operational templates and guidance for efficient service delivery

We worked closely with Peepal UK to ensure all operational elements were in place prior to launch.

The Result

The Lightbox Gallery Café opened successfully and has quickly become a much-loved addition to the venue. Guests now enjoy a warm, friendly café experience that enhances their visit to the gallery.

We are proud to have partnered with The Lightbox team to deliver a food and beverage offer that meets the high expectations of this brilliant community space.

If your venue is looking for expertise in launching or improving its food and beverage operation, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at elliott@helloconsulting.co.uk.