About the Foundation
Who we are
We started the Wafflemeister Foundation because we wanted the warmth we try to bring to every table we serve to reach further — to children going through the toughest moments of their lives, to people in our industry struggling with their health, and to causes that rarely get the spotlight they deserve.
Why we exist
Hospitality is a people business. Every day, our job is to make customers smile with great food and great service — and we felt strongly that we should be doing the same for people going through genuinely difficult times, not just the people who walk through our doors.
The Foundation grew out of that instinct: a small, trustee-led charity that channels the generosity of the hospitality community — our colleagues, our suppliers, our guests — towards causes that support children facing serious illness, protect the mental health of people working in our industry, and fund research into conditions like food allergies that affect families every day.
We're a small charity, and we're honest about that. We don't pretend to solve these problems alone. What we can do is give thoughtfully, act with care, and make sure every pound raised at our events reaches organisations doing brilliant, trusted work.
Our status
The Wafflemeister Foundation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) established for charitable purposes for the public benefit, in accordance with the law of England and Wales. It is governed by its Constitution and regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales under charity number 1211896.
The Foundation is a legal entity in its own right. Its assets are held on trust for charitable purposes and may only be applied in furtherance of those purposes. The Foundation's only voting members are its charity trustees — there is no wider membership structure separate from the Board.
How we operate
The Foundation is a grant-making charity. It does not deliver charitable services directly, employ staff, or run beneficiary-facing programmes. Instead, it pursues its charitable purposes by making grants to organisations — and, in defined circumstances, individuals — whose work advances those purposes and delivers identifiable public benefit.
The Foundation operates at a modest and proportionate financial scale, typically distributing in the region of £35,000–£75,000 per year. Governance is designed to match that scale while maintaining proper standards of accountability, control and transparency.
Our relationship to the Wafflemeister Group
The Foundation has historical and personal connections to individuals and organisations associated with the Wafflemeister Group. These connections do not diminish the Foundation's independence.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for ensuring the Foundation is governed and operated solely in the interests of the charity, with decisions taken free from improper influence. Actual and potential conflicts of interest are identified, declared and managed in line with the Foundation's Constitution and Governance Handbook.