It may be the UK’s only food festival with a social conscience, but it will take more than a few loaves and fishes to feed the 15,000 visitors whom organisers of Let’s Eat Glasgow hope to attract over two days next month. That figure, which translates into 20,000 plates, is an ambitious step-up from last year’s inaugural event, which saw chef-patrons of eight independent Glasgow restaurants serve a staggering 10,000 plates to 7,000 visitors – and run out of food.

Let’s Eat Glasgow, run by the not-for-profit chef co-operative Real Food Real Folk (RFRF) is doubling in size at the SWG3 former warehouse at Yorkhill/Finnieston. The internal space been reconfigured and expanded for the producers’ market and the restaurants are taking over the adjacent open space recently occupied by a steel yard.

The original RFRF members (Cail Bruich, Crab Shakk, Ubiquitous Chip, The Gannet, Guy’s, Mother India, Ox and Finch and Stravaigin) are all committing again, and have invited eight guest restaurants to join them over the weekend of September 3 and 4. They are Cafe Gandolfi, Eusebi’s, Martha’s, El Perro Negro, Lychee Oriental, Wee Guys, The Hanoi Bike Shop and Banana Leaf, meaning 16 restaurants will offer a choice of 46 different dishes.

Advance food vouchers at £5 each sold out last year. This time round, the dishes are £5, £7.50 and £10, and food vouchers are £2.50.

True to the event's socialist principles, 2,000 free food vouchers, plus free transport, will be given to social enterprises and food banks across the East End, Govan, Milton, Ruchill and Shettleston to encourage people to come along. Last year, 12 organisations including the City Mission, Maryhill Food Bank and the Bethany Christian Trust attended.

Small food producers will be given reduced-fee stalls to create a pop-up market, while 10 food-related social enterprises will be given theirs free of charge. They include The East Ate at Bridgeton, Urban Roots Moogety Grubhub at Govan, Slow Food West Scotland and Plan B of Wishaw.

Seumas MacInnes of Cafe Gandolfi was keen to be involved because, as he put it: “This is such a good cause I could not say no. Sadly, Glasgow remains a divided city. This goes some way to rebalancing that inequality.”

The chefs have been gifting their time to support local community groups through mentoring, skills training and volunteering.

Chris Charalambous of Cail Bruich has been volunteering at Urban Edge community growing hub at Daldowie. He tells me some of the local people have never seen a fresh carrot before. RFRF contributed financially to Shettleston Growing Project after it suffered a fire last year, and made donations to the Freedom Bakery at Low Moss Prison near Bishopbriggs, and to The East Ate in Bridgeton along with Glasgow North-East Food Bank.

Some 4,000 advance food vouchers have already been sold. Arrangements are in place to secure a constant flow of supplies so the chefs don’t run out of food, as happened last year.

I’m told 3.5 tonnes of food are already in place, including 600 organic chicken wings, 64 black puddings, five stones of herring, 150 litres of cream and 40 kg of garlic.

Clearly, feeding the 15,000 is more than a flash in the pan.