TILBURY on the Thames Trust is inviting café, catering and food businesses to express interest in becoming the café and catering partner for the restored Tilbury Riverside Station.

The opportunity forms part of the Trust's 'Back on Track' project, which is bringing the historic riverside building back into year-round public use as a heritage, cultural and community destination on the Thames. Tilbury on the Thames Trust is a registered charity established to celebrate, protect and bring new life to Tilbury's riverside heritage.

The new café will be one of the most visible and welcoming parts of the restored station, serving local residents, visitors, cruise passengers, creative tenants, event audiences and community groups. It will sit within the restored Grade II* Tilbury Riverside Station, beside the Thames and close to Tilbury Cruise Terminal.

The Trust says it is looking for more than a commercial café operator. It is: 'seeking a partner who can provide a high-quality, reliable and accessible food and drink offer, while sharing the Trust's commitment to Tilbury, social value, training, employment opportunities and community benefit.'

Local and regional operators, including smaller businesses, partnerships and growing enterprises, are particularly encouraged to express interest where they can demonstrate the standards, capacity and ambition needed to operate the café well.

The café will be part of a wider offer at Riverside Station, including exhibition space, creative lets, public activities, events, volunteering and skills opportunities.

Lucy-Emma Harris, CEO of Tilbury on the Thames Trust, said: "Riverside Station is being restored as a place for Tilbury: a place to visit, gather, learn, work, create and enjoy the Thames.

"The café will be central to that experience. We are looking for a partner who understands that this is not just about running a café, but about helping to create a welcoming, active and inclusive place. We want an operator who shares our values, cares about quality and accessibility, and can help us deliver real benefit for local people."

Scott Sullivan, co-founder of Tilbury on the Thames Trust, said: "This is a major milestone in a long journey to bring Tilbury Riverside Station back into public use.

"Many people have supported, shaped and believed in this project over a number of years, and the café is one of the parts of the future building that people are most excited about. It will be one of the first things people see and experience when they arrive.

"We want it to feel rooted in Tilbury and the Thames, while offering something genuinely welcoming, useful and sustainable for local people, visitors and everyone who uses the building."

Interested operators are being invited to register their interest now so they can receive the full tender information and details of the next steps. A site visit is expected to take place in early August, with the date to be confirmed with prospective operators expressing an interest.

The final tender response deadline is Friday, 11 September 2026.

To express interest and receive the full tender information, operators should email Mark Hobbs at Kendrick Hobbs: [email protected]

Interested parties should include their name, business or organisation name, contact details, website or social media links if available, and a short note about their café, catering, food business or event experience.

The Trust is leading the Back on Track project to restore and reopen Tilbury Riverside Station as a welcoming heritage, cultural and community destination on the Thames.

The project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and other partners including the Port of Tilbury, Tilbury Towns Fund, Arts Council England and Fowler, Smith and Jones.