Talkback: June 2007
Should museums with family audiences ban fast food?
Rob Shaw is the business development manager at Eureka! The Museum for Children, Halifax
YES: As a museum dedicated to giving children the foundation necessary for long-term quality of life, Eureka! has an affinity with this cause. However, the issue isn't quite as clear-cut as this question suggests.
Fast food and junk food are not interchangeable. We believe speed of service is key since food is a small but important element of the overall visitor experience. However, fast needn't equate to junk and there are ways of providing a quality product quickly; it just takes the right combination of equipment, skill and imagination.
The idea of 'banning' fast food is rather draconian. Instead, museums need to develop menus that meet the needs of their audiences while reflecting the ethos of the organisation.
The cafe at Eureka was designed as a fast food-style outlet in 2001, but - through refurbishment and a new catering partner - we are working to marry the ideas of 'fast' and 'healthy' to create a cafe that is as much a part of the Eureka! learning experience as our award-winning galleries.
With the evidence attesting to the importance of a healthy, balanced diet, we believe that all museums should take a similar stance. This would go a long way towards breaking the link between 'treat' and 'unhealthy' and make it easier for other family attractions to take the leap.
Henry Dimbleby is a co-founder of Leon Restaurants
NO: There is nothing in the words fast or food that means vile, processed, nutrition-free or tasteless. And yet we now associate these words with cardiac-inducing burgers, or neon-washed chiller cabinets stacked with day-old, mayo-filled, ice-cold sand-wiches.
This idea of fast food leaves us with poor choices for lunch. This is the kind of sugary, fatty food that makes you fall asleep and wake up fat. It is depressing.
Yet there are times when fast food is a necessity. Lots of museums have wonderful cafes or fancy restaurants, but the prices charged could triple the cost of a trip and often it takes too long to get served.
The only alternative for those on a budget is to pack a lunch and eat the creased remains by the museum door, or head outside for something fast, cheap and unhealthy. Museums need cafes and restaurants that sell good wholesome food, which is served quickly at an affordable price.
The fast food world is not what it used to be. Once only deep-fried battery chicken and greasy burgers were available, but now there are places offering good risottos, pastas and fabulous salads.
At Leon, we serve Moroccan meatballs and grilled free-range chicken salad as well as daily soups and stews. The question we should be asking is not whether fast food should be allowed into museums but what quality of fast food the museums should be obliged to provide.
YES: As a museum dedicated to giving children the foundation necessary for long-term quality of life, Eureka! has an affinity with this cause. However, the issue isn't quite as clear-cut as this question suggests.
Fast food and junk food are not interchangeable. We believe speed of service is key since food is a small but important element of the overall visitor experience. However, fast needn't equate to junk and there are ways of providing a quality product quickly; it just takes the right combination of equipment, skill and imagination.
The idea of 'banning' fast food is rather draconian. Instead, museums need to develop menus that meet the needs of their audiences while reflecting the ethos of the organisation.
The cafe at Eureka was designed as a fast food-style outlet in 2001, but - through refurbishment and a new catering partner - we are working to marry the ideas of 'fast' and 'healthy' to create a cafe that is as much a part of the Eureka! learning experience as our award-winning galleries.
With the evidence attesting to the importance of a healthy, balanced diet, we believe that all museums should take a similar stance. This would go a long way towards breaking the link between 'treat' and 'unhealthy' and make it easier for other family attractions to take the leap.
Henry Dimbleby is a co-founder of Leon Restaurants
NO: There is nothing in the words fast or food that means vile, processed, nutrition-free or tasteless. And yet we now associate these words with cardiac-inducing burgers, or neon-washed chiller cabinets stacked with day-old, mayo-filled, ice-cold sand-wiches.
This idea of fast food leaves us with poor choices for lunch. This is the kind of sugary, fatty food that makes you fall asleep and wake up fat. It is depressing.
Yet there are times when fast food is a necessity. Lots of museums have wonderful cafes or fancy restaurants, but the prices charged could triple the cost of a trip and often it takes too long to get served.
The only alternative for those on a budget is to pack a lunch and eat the creased remains by the museum door, or head outside for something fast, cheap and unhealthy. Museums need cafes and restaurants that sell good wholesome food, which is served quickly at an affordable price.
The fast food world is not what it used to be. Once only deep-fried battery chicken and greasy burgers were available, but now there are places offering good risottos, pastas and fabulous salads.
At Leon, we serve Moroccan meatballs and grilled free-range chicken salad as well as daily soups and stews. The question we should be asking is not whether fast food should be allowed into museums but what quality of fast food the museums should be obliged to provide.