The Clink Restaurant concept was founded by Alberto Crisci in 2009 and are a major part of The Clink Charity's prisoner rehabilitation initiatives. The charity aims to break the cycle of crime by changing attitudes, creating second chances and reducing reoffending rates. Each prisoner who works in a Clink Restaurant studies for accredited NVQs in food preparation, food service and cleaning, and horticulture. Whilst working in a Clink Restaurant prisoners gain experience within an operational business and receive in-depth guidance to find full-time employment within the hospitality industry upon release. There are currently three Clink Restaurants in operation located at HMP Brixton, HMP High Down and HMP Styal. In December 2022, The Clink Restaurant HMP Cardiff closed down due to the conclusion of their lease.

Description

The organisation takes its name from "clink", a slang generic term for prison or a jail cell, which in turn is derived from

The Clink The Clink was a prison in Southwark, England, which operated from the 12th century until 1780. The prison served the Liberty of the Clink, a local manor area owned by the Bishop of Winchester rather than by the reigning monarch. As the Libe ...

, a historic prison in Southwark. The first Clink Restaurant opened in 2009 at HMP High Down in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, when Alberto Crisci, then catering manager, identified the need for formal training, qualifications and support for prisoners in finding a job after release. In 2010, Christopher Moore was appointed the charity's first CEO. The Clink Restaurants are registered catering colleges regulated by OFSTED, who gave 'outstanding' reports following visits to High Down (2012 / 2015) and Brixton (2015). Giles Coren, columnist and restaurant critic for ''The Times'' visited the Brixton restaurant and wrote: "The Clink is doing great things for prisons, people, local communities and the reputation of Britain’s catering industry, and I salute it unreservedly."

The Clink's Five Step Programme

The Clink's Five Step Programme – Recruit, Train, Support, Employ and Mentor – aims to dramatically reduce the reoffending rate of those who have completed the training programme. Prisoners with six to 18 months of their sentence left to serve are recruited for the programme and receive full-time training in order to reach the required level to succeed in the hospitality industry upon release. Whilst the food tries to offer a contemporary twist on traditional British cuisine, with each menu being designed around locally sourced and seasonal ingredients, the restaurants also intend to provide an educational insight into the positive effect of rehabilitation and helps change public perceptions of prisoners.

The Clink Restaurant at HMP High Down

The Clink Restaurant at HMP High Down was officially opened in 2009, as the first public restaurant to open within a UK prison. Sitting within the walls of the category B prison, the restaurant seats 94 diners whilst also offering a private dining room for exclusive hire which seats 20. A projector and AV facilities are also available for meetings, conferences and presentations. Up to 30 prisoners at a time work a 40-hour week, training towards gaining nationally recognised City & Guilds NVQs in food preparation and food and beverage service, before returning to their cells in the evening.

Sheila Dillon Sheila Dillon is a British food journalist who began her career writing for the New York food magazine ''Food Monitor''. She is known to listeners of Radio Four as presenter of ''The Food Programme'', on which she has appeared for more than 20 ye ...

visited High Down in 2009 to record an episode of

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

's ''

The Food Programme ''The Food Programme'' is a BBC Radio 4 programme investigating and celebrating good food, founded by Derek Macdonald Cooper, Derek Cooper and currently presented by Sheila Dillon, Dan Saladino, Leyla Kazim and Jaega Wise. The series is produce ...

'' reporting on the new restaurant.

The Clink Restaurant at HMP Cardiff

The restaurant opened in 2012 and is within the grounds (but outside the walls) of HMP Cardiff, a category B prison. It seats 90. The Clink building was originally built as the visitor check-in centre for friends and family visiting prisoners at HMP Cardiff and was also used as a staff mess, but had been left vacant for a few years before The Clink Charity were granted use of it. The Clink Charity took possession of the building in January 2012 and spent eight months converting it into The Clink Restaurant, adding an outdoor seating area and an open plan kitchen. 30 category D prisoners from HMP Prescoed,

Usk Usk () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks the ancient cr ...

, traveled there each morning to gain City & Guilds NVQs in food preparation and food and beverage service, before returning to the prison at the end of the working day. The Clink closed in September 2022 when the lease on the building expired.

The Clink Restaurant at HMP Brixton

The Clink Restaurant at HMP Brixton opened in February 2014 as the third restaurant operated by The Clink Charity in the UK. The restaurant sits within the walls of HMP Brixton, a category C prison, and seats 120 diners. It is located within the old Governor's House, built in 1819. Because of its location, no metal cutlery is used, or alcohol served. Customers are required to pass security-checks. The restaurant also offers five private dining rooms available for hire, as well as conference facilities. In 2019 a survey by Justice Data Lab found that re-offending rates for those trained in the Brixton restaurant were only 11%, in comparison with 32% for prisoners not involved in the project.

The Clink Restaurant at HMP Styal

The Clink Restaurant at HMP Styal sits within the grounds of the women's prison and seats 120 diners. The Clink Charity, in partnership with HMPS, converted the disused St Andrews chapel that was built in 1915 into The Clink restaurant. The chapel was used by prisoners for weekly services until it became just a storage area. In April 2015 the restaurant officially opened its doors to the public.

Clink Events

Clink Events launched in 2014 to offer external catering services for private cocktail parties and receptions. Food is prepared by prisoners in training, before being delivered in refrigerated vehicles to the event venue.

The Clink Cafe

The Clink Cafe opened in May 2018 as the first project off prison grounds for the charity. The cafe is set in a Grade II listed building called Canada House, owned by Kinrise, on Chepstow Street in the heart of

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

's city centre.

References

External links

TheClinkCharity.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clink Prisons in Surrey 2009 establishments in England Restaurants in England Prison restaurants