Soft Play Area for Restaurants & Cafés UK (2026): Space, Cost and Rules
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Quick answer: A soft play corner for a UK restaurant, café or pub needs about 6 to 16 m² of floor space, wipe-clean foam pieces and a spot that staff and parents can see from the tables. Ready-made sets cost roughly £380 to £1,550 plus around £140 per box of balls. Before you open it, do a written risk assessment, add the area to your fire risk assessment and check that your public liability insurance covers it.
More pubs, cafés and family restaurants in the UK are adding a small play corner, and it's one of the most common trade questions we get at Soft Play Market. Owners usually want to know three things: how much space it takes, what it costs and what they need to sort out before children use it. This guide answers all three, using the sets we sell to venues and the questions venue owners actually ask us.
Is a kids' play area worth it for a restaurant or café?
For a venue that already gets families, usually yes. A play corner gives parents a reason to stay for another coffee or a dessert, makes a weekday lunch with toddlers manageable, and gives you something to mention when people search for "child-friendly pub" or "café with play area" near them. It also means children aren't running between tables, which matters for your staff carrying hot drinks and plates.
It's less worthwhile if most of your trade is evening dining without children, or if the only free space is next to the kitchen door or the main walkway. A play area in the wrong place causes more problems than it solves.
How much space does a restaurant play area need?
Work from the set you want plus a clear margin around it. As a rough guide:
| Venue size | Floor space for play | What fits | Typical set price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small café, 20–40 covers | 6–8 m² | Ball pit plus a small foam castle | About £380 |
| Pub or family restaurant, 40–80 covers | 8–12 m² | Ball pit, slide set and castle | £620–£990 |
| Large family venue or hotel | 16 m² or more | Party-size set with steps, slides, tunnel, rocker and pit | About £1,550 |
Leave at least a metre of clear floor between the play pieces and any table, chair or wall shelf, and keep the area out of fire exit routes and away from the kitchen pass and the bar. A rug or foam floor mats under the area protects your floor and softens falls.
Where should the play area go?
- In sight of the tables. Parents should be able to see their children without getting up. A corner the whole room can see is better than a separate back room.
- Away from hot drinks and food service. Keep it off the route staff use between the kitchen, the bar and the tables.
- Not in an escape route. Foam pieces and balls must never block a fire door or corridor.
- Near the family tables. Put high chairs and booths for families nearest the play corner, and quieter tables further away.
- Not next to the entrance. A child shouldn't be able to walk straight from the play area out of the front door.
Which type of play equipment suits a café or restaurant?
Loose foam soft play is the most common choice for indoor venues because it needs no fixing to the floor or walls and you can pack it away for an evening function. What to look for:
- Wipe-clean covers. PVC artificial-leather covers are the quickest to clean between sittings. Upholstery fabrics like bouclé and corduroy look smarter in a dining room but need more care.
- Low heights. For under-fives, keep climbing pieces low. The sets we sell for venues are designed for floor-level climbing, crawling and sliding rather than tall frames.
- A ball pit with a cushioned base. It's what children head for first. Use 7cm balls, which are too big for a young child to put in their mouth.
- Light pieces. Staff should be able to tidy and rearrange the area in a few minutes.
Avoid toys with small parts, ride-ons with wheels and anything that needs to be fixed to a wall. Fixed climbing frames and fully enclosed multi-level structures are a different category of equipment with their own standards, and they're rarely practical in a dining room.
What does a play corner cost to set up?
For a typical pub or café, budget for three things:
- The set: from about £380 for a ball pit and castle up to about £1,550 for a party-size set with slides, tunnel and rocker.
- Balls: a box of 750 7cm balls is £142.50. A 90cm round pit takes about 200 to 300 balls; bigger pits need a box or more. Our ball pit size chart shows how many you need.
- Floor protection and signage: foam mats or a large rug, and a simple sign with your rules (see below).
Delivery is free across the UK, and larger sets arrive in several boxes, so plan where you'll store the packaging when it arrives.
What rules apply to a play area in a UK restaurant or pub?
There isn't a special licence for a soft play corner in a café or restaurant, but your existing legal duties still cover it. In short:
- Risk assessment. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, you must assess risks to the public, including children, from your premises. Add the play area to your written risk assessment: where it is, who supervises it, how it's cleaned and checked.
- Fire safety. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires a fire risk assessment for your premises. Update it to include the play area, keep exits clear and ask your supplier for the fire test information for the foam and covers.
- Occupiers' liability. Under the Occupiers' Liability Act 1957 you owe visitors a duty of care, which is why the area needs regular checks and clear supervision rules.
- Insurance. Tell your insurer before you open the area and confirm your public liability policy covers it. Some policies have conditions for play equipment.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Your local authority's environmental health or licensing team and your insurer can confirm what applies to your venue.
Who supervises the children?
Make it clear that parents and carers supervise their own children. Put it on a sign at the entrance to the play area along with your other rules, for example:
- Children must be supervised by an adult at all times
- Age limit (for example under 8s) and a maximum number of children at once
- Shoes off, socks on
- No food or drinks in the play area
- Please tell a member of staff if anything is damaged
Staff don't need to watch the area constantly, but someone should look at it regularly and tidy balls back into the pit so they don't end up underfoot in the dining room.
How do you keep a café play area clean?
- Daily: wipe the foam covers with a damp cloth and mild soap, and check for splits, loose stitching or damaged zips. Take any damaged piece out of use.
- Weekly: wash the balls. For a busy venue, weekly is a sensible routine; tip them into mesh bags, wash in warm soapy water, rinse and air-dry fully before they go back in.
- After a spill or illness: clean the affected pieces straight away and close the area until they're dry.
Avoid bleach, harsh chemicals and abrasive sponges, which damage the covers. Our guide to cleaning a ball pit has a step-by-step routine.
Restaurant and café play sets we sell
These are the sets venue owners most often ask us about, smallest first:
- Fun Land S: ball pit with balls and an 11-piece foam castle, about £383. A good fit for a small café corner.
- Fun Land M: adds a 4-piece foam slide set, about £617.
- Fun Land L: adds a sofa-to-car set and a rocker, about £964.
- Fun Land XXL: adds a double rocker and eight extra-large blocks, about £987.
- Party Soft Play Set: steps, slides, tunnel, rocker, wave and a ball pit with floor mats, wipe-clean covers, for around 16 m². £1,549.95, balls sold separately.
- Ball pit balls, box of 750: £142.50, one colour per box.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence for a soft play area in my café?
Not a separate one. But the play area must be covered by your health and safety risk assessment, your fire risk assessment and your insurance. Check with your local authority if you're unsure.
What age is a restaurant soft play corner for?
Most venue sets are designed for toddlers and young children, roughly 1 to 6 years, with bigger sets suitable up to about 10. Set an age limit on your sign so older children don't play rough near toddlers.
How many children can use it at once?
It depends on the size of the set. As a starting point, allow around 1.5 to 2 m² per child and set a maximum on your sign. Reduce it if the area gets crowded.
Can I pack the play area away for evening service?
Yes, that's one of the advantages of loose foam pieces. They're light enough for staff to stack in a store room, and the balls can go into a large lidded box or mesh bags.
Are ball pits hygienic in a food venue?
They can be, as long as you keep food and drink out of the area and wash the balls on a regular routine. Weekly washing is a sensible baseline for a busy venue.
Can you help us choose a set for our floor plan?
Yes. Email info@softplaymarket.co.uk with a photo of the space and rough measurements, or see our trade programme if you're buying for more than one site.