I tried a pop-up public diner - here's why these government-backed restaurants should return

Public diners were created in the wake of the Second World War to ensure everyone could access a good, nourishing meal. Now there’s a campaign to bring them back. Rosalind Erskine visited a pop-up public diner event in Glasgow to see what we could expect if they returned.

I think the last time I was in a church hall around 5pm on a summer’s evening, it was probably for a school disco in the mid ‘90s.

But this is where I find myself at a Glasgow pop-up public diner dinner. Hosted by food policy organisation Nourish Scotland, the premise of the event - and meal - was to bring people together to showcase what a modern-day public diner might look like and have a chat about how we can reintroduce these government backed restaurants.

Created by the government of the-then prime minister Winston Churchill in 1940, the British Restaurant chain, which aimed to offer the public affordable, healthy meals, had around 2,000 outlets in its heyday - more than McDonald's does now. These were a national restaurant service before we had a National Health Service.

Dhal and aubergine curry being served at the Glasgow pop-up public diner meal | Rosalind Erskine

Food policy charity Nourish Scotland says the resurrection of public diners could point people away from crisis and charitable food aid, such as food banks, as well as becoming a key part of the community and to help target societal issues such as loneliness.

According to the Scottish Government, it is estimated 20 per cent of Scotland’s population - 1,070,000 people each year - were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2021-24. Before housing costs, 18 per cent of the population (970,000 people) were living in poverty.

People in poverty were less likely to experience high food security. Just 67 per cent of those in relative poverty, and 68 per cent of those in severe poverty, lived in high food security households.

How do these public diners fit into our society now, given the last public diner or civic restaurant as it was known closed in the 1960s?

The pop-up dinner, and chat, I attended was hosted in the church hall of the beautiful Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church. Four long communal tables sat adults of all ages, and some children, with food prepared by the Central and West Integration Network (CWIN) chefs who regularly host community meals and run food hubs.

The CWIN works with refugees and asylum seekers and offers services aimed at people’s immediate needs. Our dinner was a warming dhal, spicy aubergine sambal balado curry, coconut rice, tomato and onion salad and raita dip followed by a homemade chocolate brownie served with Scottish strawberries.

Dhal and aubergine curry from the Glasgow pop-up public diner meal | Rosalind Erskine

After chatting to the women around me about the evening and our thoughts on the public diners, we ended up laughing and sharing our favourite TV shows this year so far. Our night also ended in an impromptu tour of the historic church.

I came away feeling uplifted and happy, having met some new people. Right now the world feels like an oppressive, depressing place to be, but getting together over a warm meal and chatting to strangers makes you realise we have more in common than things which separate us.

For £5, I had one of the nicest evenings out I’ve had in a while, and I started it knowing no one.

If public diners do return, they’ll not only be a vehicle in which to address food insecurity, they’ll become a place for people to meet others, chat and forget worries for a while - including loneliness.

I can see them also being something you’d seek out as a solo traveller to a new city. Things might have moved on since the Second World War - privatisation and tech reign supreme - but a look back to simpler times may help us care for those who are all too often struggling.