Next week sees the public opening of The Clink restaurant in HMP Brixton, a charitable initiative that’s proven successful in prisons in Surrey and Cardiff. Online reservations are already live for the new site.
The man behind the restaurants, professional chef Alberto Crisci, was inspired to start the programme in order to form a rehabilitation scheme for inmates.
The Clink restaurant is staffed entirely by prisoners (who are usually coming towards the end of long sentences), and aims to teach them about the hospitality industry and equip them with skills that will help get them back into employment upon release. The ultimate goal is to reduce prisoner reoffending rates, which is currently as high as 49%.
The restaurant opens for lunch only from next Thursday 27 February, and the menu will be largely in the same vein as this one from the Surrey restaurant - which has received decent reviews - serving modern British dishes with a seasonal focus, priced between £5 and £15.
Normal opening times will be from 7.15-9.15am for breakfast, and from 12-12.30pm to be seated for lunch, currently just Monday to Friday.
With over 18,000 people dining at The Clink Restaurants at HMP High Down and HMP Cardiff last year, the opening of the first training restaurant in the capital has been eagerly anticipated by supporters of the initiative and those who have more recently discovered the charity.