Hunt & Darton Cafe

A fully functioning cafe that blends art with the everyday, Hunt & Darton Cafe is a social and artistic hub where spontaneity and performance meet great food and drink.

Artist Jenny Hunt and Holly Darton expose the inner workings of their business by presenting everything as art-from public display of their bank balance to the lovingly handpicked charity shop crockery.

The alternative service from Hunt & Darton themselves (often wearing their iconic pineapple outfits and hats) comprises deadpan style and theme days such as ‘you- do-it-day’ where customers are encouraged to serve each other. Hunt & Darton also commission local artists to wait on the tables and create unique performances as they serve. Previous guest waiters have included Richard DeDomenici delivering his style of silver service, bronze service where everything’s a little bit crap, Scottee who offered his ownset menu with frank conversations about gender, Brian Lobel, who embraced everything promised by American hospitality and Odd Comic, a duo of ‘trainee customer service providers’ who offered delights such as a tap dance with tap water store.

This is an exciting, innovative and entrepreneurial project unveiling and celebrating the ‘Cafe’ as an iconic and socially important hub for creative productivity and conversation.

H&D Cafe has toured 14 UK locations (ACE Strategic Tour), included 2 runs at Edinburgh Fringe (Three Weeks Editors Award), presentation at 3 major cities in China (with British Council & Forest Fringe), Wildwurchs- Basel and Festive de Kurtz- Netherlands and Tate Modern. Read more on the H&D Cafe Blog