Why Dine & Charge?
Dine & Charge started with a fairly simple idea: if the car needs to stop, why shouldn't the driver get something out of the stop too?
EV charging has become a normal part of driving an electric car, but finding somewhere to charge and finding somewhere you'd actually like to spend time aren't always the same thing. I wanted to make those two things easier to find together.
It's about the place, not just the charger
When you're planning an EV journey, it's easy to start with the charger. What network is it? How fast is it? How many connectors are there? Will it work with the car?
Those details matter. But once you've plugged in, you're still sitting somewhere for the next part of your journey.
Maybe you need a coffee. Maybe you're hungry. Maybe you want to sit down for lunch, stretch your legs, answer a few emails or simply take a proper break from driving.
That's where Dine & Charge comes in. Instead of starting with a charger and then working out what is nearby, the idea is to find the venue and the charger together.
Eat, drink, stay and charge
The database is built around places where charging is actually part of the stop: restaurants, cafés, pubs, hotels and other hospitality venues where you can spend time while your EV charges.
That means the useful part isn't simply knowing that a charger exists. It's knowing what the stop is like as well.
A café might be exactly what you need for a quick coffee. A restaurant might make sense for a longer lunch. A hotel can turn charging into part of an overnight stay. A pub or other venue might be the right place to take a proper break on a longer journey.
There isn't one type of charging stop that suits everyone, which is why the aim is to give you the information and let you choose.
Why not just use a normal charging map?
Charging maps are incredibly useful, and Dine & Charge isn't intended to replace them. They're designed to answer an important question: where can I charge?
Dine & Charge is trying to answer a slightly different one: where would I like to stop while I charge?
Sometimes the answer will still be a rapid charger at a motorway service area because getting back on the road quickly is exactly what you need. Other times, you might prefer a proper meal, a coffee or somewhere comfortable to spend an hour.
The point is having that choice before you set off, rather than discovering what's available only after you've arrived.
Why the database matters
One of the hardest parts of building Dine & Charge has been finding reliable information about venues and their chargers. A venue can install a charger, replace it, remove it or change the charging network, while the venue itself carries on as normal.
That means this isn't really a database that can ever be finished. It needs to keep changing as the charging network and hospitality industry change.
We're trying to make the information useful enough that an EV driver can make a decision with confidence, while being honest that charging information can change and that no database will be perfect forever.
Built for EV journeys
Dine & Charge is ultimately about making better use of the time an EV journey already gives you.
If the car needs charging, that's time you're spending somewhere anyway. Finding a place you actually want to visit can turn an unavoidable stop into part of the journey.
That's the reason the site focuses on the combination of venue + charger. Not just a charger nearby. Not just somewhere to eat. Somewhere you can do both.
And as the database grows, the hope is that finding those places becomes easier for everyone travelling by EV across the UK.
So why Dine & Charge?
Because charging is part of the journey. Where you spend that time should be your choice.