Transformed restaurant at the Royal Free Hospital | Royal Free Charity

Transformed restaurant at the Royal Free Hospital

6 March 2026 
White tables and orange chairs in a hospital restaurant.
The restaurant has been rebranded ​‘The 1828’. 
NHS staff at the Royal Free Hospital now have a newly transformed space to rest and recharge after a major refurbishment of the hospital’s staff restaurant, funded by Royal Free Charity (RFC) supporters. 

Named The 1828 in honour of the hospital’s founding year, the project to redesign the restaurant was launched in response to staff feedback during the Covid pandemic. It reflects the RFC’s shared belief with the Royal Free London: caring for patients begins with caring for the people who look after them.

Funded thanks to the generosity of The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, The Bluston Charitable Settlement and local donors, the redesigned space offers a welcoming environment away from busy clinical areas – somewhere colleagues can take proper breaks, connect and return to work refreshed.

“An opportunity to say thank you to the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to caring for our community.”

– Orly Wolfson 

Carefully reimagined by architects, the restaurant features a calming colour palette, sociable seating and modern furniture to create a restorative atmosphere. Alongside the physical transformation, the hospital’s catering team have designed a wider range of healthy and nourishing options to reflect the needs of a diverse workforce.

At Tuesday’s opening event, hospital leaders, charity supporters and staff sampled dishes prepared in the restaurant’s kitchen – including spicy lentil soup, lamb madras, macaroni cheese and tiramisu – before a commemorative plaque was unveiled.

Jon Spiers, Royal Free Charity chief executive, said: ​“The project perfectly reflects why the Royal Free Charity exists: every service we provide and every grant we award is for the benefit of patients and staff. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the NHS every day, working together to make a meaningful and tangible difference.

“This renovation was more than a refurbishment; it was an investment in NHS staff wellbeing. And when we invest in their wellbeing, we have a positive impact on patient care. A workforce that feels supported and valued is better equipped to deliver the compassion and excellence our communities rely on.”

Jon Spiers giving a speech in the newly refurbished 'The 1828' restaurant.
A hospital restaurant before refurbishment, with green counters and walls.
Tables and chairs in a hospital restaurant before refurbishment.
A hospital coffee shop area with a table, till and fridge.
Jon Spiers, Judy Dewinter, Dr Ali Esmaeili and Orly Wolfson in front of a purple plaque.
White tables and orange chairs in a hospital restaurant.
A hospital restaurant counter with a till in the foreground.
A beige bookshelf with books of varying sizes and a green plant.
A salad bar and a snack station within a hospital restaurant.

Orly Wolfson, representing The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, said: ​“When I first visited the previous staff restaurant, the feeling it gave me stayed with me. The space felt tired: it was not somewhere a nurse at the end of a tough shift could sit down and relax; where a junior doctor could grab coffee and feel just for a moment that someone had thought about their needs; where a porter, consultant or healthcare assistant felt truly looked after. I left thinking, ​‘We can do better.’

“Staff wellbeing is not a benefit, it’s fundamental. When the people who care for us are looked after, the quality of care they give improves. Investing in this space is an investment in patient care. It has been a privilege to play a small part in this, and I hope for years to come this restaurant offers every person who walks through its doors a moment of calm, a sense of warmth and a feeling that they are appreciated.”

Dr Ali Esmaeili, plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital who spear-headed the project, said: ​“The Royal Free Hospital was one of the beginning stories of the NHS, but I believe we have the opportunity now to be piloting something absolutely new: preventive medicine lived in the NHS by the staff. It shows how much we can achieve together. That should be the future.”

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