Eat School Rent lets restaurants use idle school kitchens at night to raise school funds

BBC News reported in April 2026 that Billesley Primary School in Birmingham was launching Eat School Rent, a scheme that lets food businesses use school kitchens during evenings and weekends. Staff said they were the first outside London to rent out their kitchen to local restaurants.

The first service was a pop-up from Moseley restaurant Chakana, preparing food in the school kitchen for delivery across the city while keeping its normal service at its main site. The scheme's founder, Ben Rosenberg, said it launched in London in 2025 and has worked with several schools there, which are partnered with a social enterprise.

Vice principal Ryan Hook said the school was always looking for new ways to support pupils and that the scheme was about making the most of what it already has; the money will be reinvested into food and sustainability projects. Restaurant owner Steve Dickinson said it helped restaurants grow while supporting local education.

School kitchens are unused in evenings and weekends.

Restaurants want low-cost, high-quality kitchens for delivery.

Rent brings in income without placing extra pressure on staff.

A delivery-only pop-up lets restaurants reach new customers without a new site.

Idle fixed assets are a revenue source: rent them to a user whose busy hours do not overlap yours.

The scheme began with the Chakana pop-up in Birmingham in April 2026. The article gives no income figures. It describes the London launch in 2025 as having already worked with several schools.