The family firm behind the Tasty Bean at Oxhey Activity Park will run the new Town Hall café from spring 2027. Tea from £2.50 and a terrace on the Town Square.

The team behind the Tasty Bean café at Oxhey Activity Park will run the new café inside Watford Town Hall. It is due to open in spring 2027, with an outdoor terrace on the new Town Square.

Watford Borough Council announced the choice on 2 November. The operator is EnsCat Ltd, an independent family business that already runs the Tasty Bean at the park on Wiggenhall Road. That café stays open.

What the council says it will offer

The café will sit on the ground floor of the Grade II listed Town Hall. The council’s release lists:

  • coffee, cakes and breakfast dishes
  • sandwiches, wraps and light lunches
  • children’s meals
  • vegetarian and plant-based options
  • meal deals
  • oat, soya and almond milk at no extra charge

It also gives “indicative” opening prices:

Item From
Tea £2.50
Pastries £2.75
Breakfast baps £5.25

Those are the prices planned now, not a published menu. The council says the full menu and opening details will be announced closer to the time.

Artist's impression of the Town Hall café frontage, with glazed doors and people at tables on a paved terrace beside the brick Town Hall
An artist's impression of the café frontage and terrace at Watford Town Hall. Image: supplied by Watford Borough Council

Jobs and work experience

EnsCat plans to advertise its vacancies through local employment networks, including West Herts College. It also plans structured work experience for young people, according to the release.

Jerome Enskat, the firm’s managing director, said: “As an independent family business, we want to bring the same personal welcome, good food and good value to the town centre.”

Part of the Town Hall Quarter

The café is one piece of the council’s Town Hall Quarter scheme. Once the work is finished, the Town Hall will also hold:

  • the new Museum of Watford
  • an Innovation Hub
  • the council’s customer services
  • community meeting spaces

The Elected Mayor, Peter Taylor, said the council wants the quarter to be “somewhere people genuinely enjoy spending time”.

What it means for you

  • Nothing opens yet. The council’s date is spring 2027, with no exact day.
  • Looking for work? The operator says it will advertise through local networks, West Herts College among them, so watch those channels nearer the opening.
  • The Tasty Bean at Oxhey Activity Park carries on as before. There is one hour’s free parking at the park’s car park.

Sources