Contract Opportunities

Join the Back On Track team:

We are currently looking to recruit the following freelance role:
 
  • Café and Catering Partner
 
Cafe and Catering Partner Opportunity
 

Tilbury on the Thames Trust is seeking a café and catering partner for the restored Tilbury Riverside Station.

The café will be a central part of the Back on Track project legacy: a welcoming place for local residents, visitors, cruise passengers, creative tenants, and event audiences.

This is not simply a commercial café unit.  We are looking for the right partner - an operator 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.

We are particularly keen to hear from local and regional operators, including smaller businesses, partnerships and growing enterprises, where they can demonstrate the standards, capacity and support needed to operate the café well.

The café will sit within the restored Grade II* Tilbury Riverside Station, beside the Thames and part of the wider Tilbury Cruise Terminal.   The project will bring the building back into year-round public use, creating exhibition space, creative workspaces, public activities, events, volunteering and skills opportunities.

 

The opportunity:

Location: Tilbury Riverside Station, Tilbury Opportunity: Café and catering management partner Tender response deadline: Friday 11 September 2026 Site visit: Expected early August 2026, date to be confirmed Mobilisation: Expected during 2027, ahead of reopening Contact: Mark Hobbs, Kendrick Hobbs Email: mark@kendrickhobbs.co.uk

 

We are looking for a partner who can:

  • Create a welcoming daytime café offer for local people and visitors
  • Provide good standards of food, drink and service
  • Offer accessible pricing and good everyday value
  • Bring a strong sense of place, rooted in Tilbury and the Thames
  • Support events, activities and smaller venue hires where practical
  • Contribute to local employment, training or skills opportunities
  • Work collaboratively with Tilbury on the Thames Trust
 

How to express interest:

To express interest and receive the full tender information, please email: mark@kendrickhobbs.co.uk

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

Interested operators will receive the tender pack and further information about the site visit, questions process and next steps.

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