This is at truly wonderful idea, lots to think about and implement. 
Thank you. I am extremely grateful.
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Could you say what other dishes you’d like to prepare? As mentioned, I’m all for Jewish cuisine, although unlike Harters, I think Brits are more familiar with other types beyond Ashkenazi, they just don’t recognise these as Jewish.
That said, I don’t know of your origins or training or interests, so I wouldn’t push beyond your comfort zone of Ashkenazi, but as Harters also says, specialty group dinner nights with a set menu designed to introduce people to what else you do, is a practice among many places (and here I also think of general restaurants).
The distinction between this and your original proposal is that while there is a culinary theme, it is not theme park and promise of “experience” beyond a culinary one. (Although the capacity of a restaurant like this to teach about Jewish cuisine which reflects each part of the globe they come from (and the complicated footways there). There are great stories and histories to be related through food.
So please, regale me with the menus and promise me that a coffee at the end comes with mandlbrot.
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Indeed so. I had a quick nosy at a couple of kosher restaurants in the Manchester area and the menus at both are heavily in to what most folk would think of as Middle Eastern dishes. Very little of the European influenced Ashkenazi food that leap off the pages of Claudia Roden’s Jewish food book. But I have no idea how successful these places are at attracting non-Jewish customers or even if they look to do so. This place has been around forever -
https://jsotc.co.uk/
I am extremely glad that I’ve come across such a great group!
Indeed Harters advice really got my creative juices going and I’ll be working towards it.
There is a lot of great dishes on the Ashkenazi menu as well as the other menu’s we have planned, so once its launched will be delighted to have you join to see & taste it in person.
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Might be true for Manchester but Hoffy’s in Antwerp attract so many non-Jewish customers. When Antwerp was honoured as the Capital Culture of Europe in 1993 the Mayor arranged for Jewish Cultural Tours to be included in the schedule. Come New Years day and they attract hundreds of orders from Non-Jewish clients…
https://hoffys.be/
Indeed, With a slice of this on the house.
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I agree 1000%. The whole idea of Jewish cuisine, but not kosher, and on shabbat, but not for observant Jews, feels so wrong to me. Where can we find Christian restaurants? How about Muslim ones? Hindu? Buddhist? A religion is not a cuisine. An area of this world might be. Israeli food. Sure. Mediterranean food. Ok. You can certainly get Indian food or Halal food, but people aren’t calling it a restaurant based off a religion…
There are plenty of bagelries and Jewish delis. What exactly are you offering that you are certain people haven’t had before?
Again, as @Hunterwali and I think @small_h said, Jews are not artifacts to gawk at, nor are their customs or the ceremonial foods that many of us eat to observe various holidays.
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The OP is Jewish, according to their posts.
I saw. Me too. And I have my own Jewish feelings about this scheme 
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We have a Buddhist restaurant in the city - it’s at the Buddhist centre.
And I can think of several places that conform to Muslim dietary laws and make a thing of the fact they do.
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Yes, there are also kosher restaurants, but kashrut is a way of preparing food according to religious teachings, but the food itself isn’t religious, or the religion. Same with Islam and halal food. I used to live in LA and there was a Thai temple that hosted a Thai street food market on weekends. I’m only saying that food connections are typically to a place, not to a religion.
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The original poster doesn’t plan to conform to Kosher dietary laws or to Jewish law regarding the Sabbath.
It seems that the Shabbat part isn’t the critical piece, but home dishes that aren’t at Jewish delis, bagel places, etc. I don’t know whether there’s a hungry market for that where you live, on a canal or not, but it’s certainly not something common in the US. In SF around Passover and Rosh Hashanah, a few restaurants will offer menus of those types of dishes but it’s not a regular thing.
If that whipped cream is real (not non-dairy) you can’t serve it at the same meal as chicken soup.
Also, on the What Are You Baking June 2023 thread you say that it contains Jello which isn’t Kosher as it contains pork gelatin. Even if the gelatin were make exclusively from cows, you can’t serve gelatin and dairy at the same meal.
The poster never claimed to be following kosher laws for this restaurant, which you mentioned just two hours ago. I don’t understand the confusion?
“Kosher Certification; Indeed you’re totally right, therefore food will be in accordance to Jewish Law using Kosher Ingredients but won’t have the Kosher certification.”
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“It would be a chance to experience traditional Jewish Cuisine dishes prepared according to Jewish law”
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I know so little about tradition Jewish food that it would take quite a marketing/PR effort to get me interested. I don’t know if my level of ignorance is typical or not.
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Almost certainly would be typical in the UK. We do not have a large Jewish population - only about 270k, with half of them living in London - so has a relatively low profile. I live, literally, round the corner from a synagogue but have more South Asian neighbours than Jewish ones.
That said, Dee’s idea is very much going to be a niche thing. It will appeal to those with an enquiring mind about food. As I’ve previously said, marketing is going to be the key. And bringing in other punters for the “none Jewish” evenings on the barge - that will help to establish the business with people.
I know so little about tradition Jewish food that it would take quite a marketing/PR effort to get me interested
That attitude is fascinating to me. Surely not knowing about a thing would be the impetus for interest? Especially for those interested in food-- so much so they participate on a food board?
