Places to eat with EV charging

My name's Sean, and I'm the creator of Dine & Charge.

There's nothing particularly remarkable about that introduction. I'm just an EV owner, relatively new to the whole electric car world after I switched to an EV in March, moving to a Polestar 2 after my old Volvo sadly went to car heaven. I've absolutely loved it so far, the financial savings have been better than I expected, it's smooth to drive, and I've actually been somewhat surprised by the EV charging infrastructure across the UK.

Charging itself is only a problem occasionally; however, it was what I was doing while the car was charging that got me thinking. Most charge stops and the venues they're at actually seem to push you towards convenience, usually with fast food venues being your only option for substantial food. Then, for smaller lunches, you're left with uninspiring processed meal-deal sandwiches and wraps that make you feel you're eating because you have to. Certainly does me anyway!

Where do you actually want to stop?

Whenever I went on a longer journey, the car would quite sensibly plan a charging stop for me. It usually works well, and definitely meets the convenience factor. Most of the time, though, the obvious place to stop on a longer journey was usually a generic service station. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, as they're convenient and familiar, with plenty of facilities, and sometimes you simply want to get charged and get back on the road.

That being said, a couple of months back I did start wondering why that had to be the default just because our cars or navigation apps do it for us. If I'm going to spend half an hour or so stopped somewhere anyway, wouldn't it be nicer to spend that time somewhere I'd actually choose to visit?

Somewhere I could sit down properly, have a decent meal, get a nice coffee, and take a refreshing break from driving.

With the average electric vehicle covering a real-world 236 miles (according to the SMMT), it's inevitable that the charging network needs to be relied on alongside home charging. However, unlike refuelling, charging doesn't have to be the sole reason you stop. There's more to a good charging stop than just the charger, and hospitality venues are clocking on to that and adding EV chargers to improve traffic. Whether that be a pub, restaurant, café, garden centre, or hotel, it's somewhere more pleasant and comfortable, where stopping for half an hour or more wouldn't feel like time that needed to be endured.

Anyway, unless I'm an odd one out, I thought if I wanted to change my charging habits for long journeys, then probably so do a lot of other people. What was surprising was not really how many there were, but how difficult they could be to find. Information was scattered around different websites, with sometimes conflicting information, charging networks, venue pages and maps, and sometimes it wasn't particularly clear whether the charger was actually at the venue for that convenience aspect. It sounds like a fairly simple thing to look for, but there wasn't really a straightforward way of doing it, so I started compiling the information myself.

Making better use of the time

Charging time can feel like time we've lost from our journey. Obviously, the car needs to charge, so we have to wait, but we need to stop too. We need food, coffee (well, I certainly do!), and just a break to stretch our legs.

Sometimes we just need to get away from the steering wheel for a little while, so perhaps the time doesn't need to be lost. If the car is charging and you need a bite to eat or drink, then the two things happen at the same time for a much better use of your time. It doesn't necessarily have to be anything particularly special, but sometimes a proper lunch or dinner is exactly what you want. The point is, I feel people need the choice.

Of course, the quality of the food matters too. This is the main reason I wanted to be proactive and create this database. I've nothing against motorway services, or the chains that operate in them; I'm not trying to suggest that the food doesn't taste right or anything remotely similar. I assume we all know the feeling of almost grossness after devouring a burger and chips that we didn't really need just because it was easy.

Creating this database was more about having alternatives. If I'm stopping because the car needs charging, I'd rather have the opportunity to find somewhere that looks appealing, sit down and have a meal that I've actually chosen, rather than simply eating whatever happens to be available because I'm already there. That could be a restaurant you've never tried before, a simple breakfast, or just something light for an energy boost before you get back on the road.

For me, that's an important part of the idea.

The stop should be useful to you as well as the car, and it changes the way you think about a journey. Instead of needing to stop being a burden, it's something I can look forward to. That subtle difference has transformed my longer journeys, but I think it makes a lot of sense.

If you're travelling for work, perhaps there's a pub or restaurant along the route where you can have lunch, answer a few emails and take a proper break before continuing.

If you're heading away on holiday, perhaps there's a nice café or garden centre roughly where you'd naturally want to stop anyway.

If you're travelling with children, perhaps finding somewhere with food, space and somewhere to stretch your legs makes the whole journey a little easier, like a National Trust site that has all those amenities.

On a long journey, it's simply nice to know where you're going to stop. Other than the typical fire myths that are spread by EV sceptics, the main criticism of electric vehicles is the charging, especially long-distance travel, road trips, and how the infrastructure isn't there. This database is created by EV owners for EV owners, but maybe it's enough for people to realise that EV charging facilities are a lot better than a lot of people think they are, and provides evidence that long journeys and road trips are possible, and in fact, can be enjoyable.

Finding somewhere to eat with EV charging doesn't necessarily solve all of the potential problems that you could face with EV chargers, obviously, but it does make one part of the journey feel much more straightforward. Venues with more chargers are obviously more attractive initially than placing all your eggs in one basket with just the one charger. This brings me on to the final part of the introduction to this site.

Dine & Charge – a resource for the EV community

Before this all started, I knew I wanted to find restaurants and cafés to eat at, but I struggled to source the information. I had to rely on AI, and that usually sent me to a venue 30 miles from where I actually wanted to stop. I couldn't believe it was so hard to find good stops on route.

I initially built up a small list of places that I'd just checked venues for my own personal gain, but I started thinking about how useful it would be if all of this information was somewhere in one place for anyone to access. I couldn't really find any database that did anything similar, so I decided to build it.

I've now spent a lot of time researching and compiling all of this information just to get to where the app is now, a lot more time than I care to admit. In fact, so much time that I've definitely realised I need to prioritise my family for a bit!

Dine & Charge is not the result of some grand business plan. It started with me thinking that there had to be a better way of finding somewhere to stop, and being shocked that nobody had already done this. I'm very keen on this being community-based, to keep it all up to date and as user-friendly as possible, and I've already had some great improvement suggestions from the Reddit community which will be rolled out soon.

I don't think a database like this can ever really be finished. There'll always be new venues installing chargers, chargers that stop working, and old chargers being replaced for higher-power units. I'm well aware of the scary times that hospitality venues face, and there will sadly be businesses that disappear altogether. The community I want Dine & Charge to form can help EV owners, but also help EV-friendly venues get more business and keep them going through difficult times.

Someone might know that a particular pub does an excellent Sunday lunch, or that there's a lovely walk nearby a venue with a 7kW slow charger. All of that information matters, and an update button will be brought out to improve everyone's experience using this site. These bits of info that come from actually using these places, rather than simply looking at them on a map, will hopefully improve the charging experience that a lot of us have.

The site might have started with me compiling the information, but it shouldn't just remain my database. I'd much rather it became something for EV owners, by EV owners, where people can contribute, correct things, suggest new venues and share the experiences they've had.

I don't expect every recommendation to suit everyone, either. One person's favourite place to stop might be somewhere another person wouldn't choose, and that's fine. The useful part is having the information and being able to make your own decision. It's about making long journeys a little better.

Motorway services aren't going anywhere, and this site isn't to say don't use them. I created this, and I still will. Sometimes you just want to get somewhere, you need a quick charge, and convenience matters more than anything else, when the fastest possible charger is exactly what you need.

Not every charging stop needs to be an experience, and there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the way most people use the UK's charging network. However, there are definitely journeys where we can make better use of the time.

There are hundreds of places around the country where you can eat, drink, stay and charge your EV in the same place. This site provides an easier way to find them. With a bit of help from the EV community, I'm hoping it becomes something much bigger and much more useful than the list I started with.

Perhaps the next time the car tells you it's time to stop, the question doesn't have to be:

"Where can you charge?"

Instead:

"Where would you like to go?"

Enjoy using the site!