Manx National Heritage Seeks Dynamic Caterer – Spring 2025
Manx National Heritage are inviting expressions of interest from experienced businesses to operate the Bay Room Café at the Manx Museum.
The Manx Museum is our flagship site, open 09:30 to 16:30 daily all year round and free to enter, it welcomes over 61,000 visitors each year. The Bay Room Café is part of our strategy to further enhance our visitor’s experience of the Museum.
We are seeking proposals from passionate individuals and/or teams who can offer a simple but creative menu of exceptional quality, incorporating light refreshments throughout the day. The menu may include cake, sandwiches and light lunch options together with hot and cold drinks, all delivered to consistently high standards of food and customer service and promoting locally sourced ingredients.
The conservatory style Café currently offers 27 covers, which with minor changes could provide a slightly increased number of covers. The Bay Room Café is conveniently located close to the Manx Museum Shop entrance and the popular year-round TT Gallery. The Café benefits from excellent natural daylight and provides an attractive Café environment for visitors and is an alternative destination for local residents, or those using the thoroughfare between Upper and Lower Douglas via the Chester Street multi-storey car park. With long-stay parking located a couple of minutes away across the footbridge to the car park, the Bay Room Café is a convenient meeting place for morning coffee, brunch, lunch or afternoon tea.
In addition to 362 days’ opening per annum, there is a regular program of temporary exhibitions and events within the wider Manx Museum complex. The Lecture Theatre and other facilities are available for corporate hire/functions and the Café operator will have the opportunity to compete to provide their services. A popular destination for Tour Operator groups, cruise ship passengers and special interest groups, there is significant opportunity for an entrepreneurial operator to benefit from the regular year-round footfall to the Museum. The Lecture Theatre and iMuseum are popular venues for corporate bookings, including networking events, early morning lectures and evening product launches, and clients booking these events regularly seek high quality catering services.
Working in partnership with Manx National Heritage, opportunities may also exist to provide catering services at other Manx National Heritage sites.
The closing date for receipt of proposals is midnight 11/05/2025.
For further information or an informal discussion please contact:
Pauline Wall, Head of Operations
01624 648018