As part of an £800m multi-year investment, John Lewis is rolling out an entirely new café and restaurant concept across its stores, replacing the existing The Place To Eat brand. Under the programme, 32 cafes are to be refurbished and rebranded by the close of 2027.
The new Platter cafes mark the next step for John Lewis and Benugo’s ten-year relationship, building on the success of existing collaborative sites like 1864 Rooftop Bar and Kitchen and the Benugo-run The Place To Eat concept.
The flagship Platter Oxford Street concept is already operating on Level 5, featuring hot food to order, coffee, a residency and cocktail bar.
‘Platter serves our own coffee – with beans roasted right here in Oxford Street – alongside an open kitchen making pizza, deli and patisserie on site. Whether stopping for coffee, a pizza with family, a treat from the dessert parlour or a drink at the bar, we've created a space that makes a shopping trip even more special.’ - Katie Papakonstantinou, John Lewis Director of Services and Hospitality
Inside Platter’s Oxford Street flagship
With a whopping 300 covers, Platter Oxford Street is now one of the biggest restaurants in London’s most famous shopping district. Expect six different spaces under one roof, each designed as a destination in its own right:
- Open kitchen: Specialising in freshly made, hand-stretched pizzas, the open kitchen gives guests a direct sightline as chefs stretch and bake pizzas, adding a little touch of theatre to the experience
- Roastery: For the first time, customers can also buy John Lewis’ single-origin Arabica bean coffee to take home. Overseen by a master roaster, coffee is roasted exclusively for John Lewis here at Oxford Street and used in all of Platter’s coffee drinks.
- Made-on-site deli: Serving up fresh salads, cold meats, and plates prepared on site. It includes a selection of grab-and-go options for shoppers in need of something quick rather than a sit-down meal, covering both eating-in and fast lunch crowds
- Dessert parlour: Home to a full sundae menu, Belgian waffles and a chocolate tap, we imagine this one will be popular with families and kids.
- Champagne and cocktail bar: A classy marble counter bar with dark green leather interiors overlooking the shop's main atrium. Expect cocktails like Hibiscus Margaritas and Negronis, alongside Champagne, beers and charcuterie, and bar snacks.
- Fifth-floor terrace: An outdoor space with fifty covers, looking out across the London skyline, adding an al fresco element.
The Residency
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The Eclectic Collection is now in residence at Platter Oxford Street
A rotating pop-up programme also features, bringing popular outside food brands into the store on a temporary basis. The first is The Eclectic Collection, a London patisserie known for its realistic, hand-painted and airbrushed fruit-shaped desserts - mousse and compote fillings shaped and glazed like whole mangoes, strawberries, lemons, apples, and bananas.
Responding to consumer trends
The pivot to a more interactive all-day dining concept reflects how consumer behaviour has changed in recent years. People want to see a little theatre and get up close and personal with dining concepts. You may have noticed the uptick in counter dining restaurants, chef’s table experiences, food halls, and immersive dining concepts cropping up in London.
John Lewis opened its first cafe in 1965, and today operates a total of 62 nationwide. Hospitality now accounts for more than 20% of John Lewis in-store transactions, and sales have grown by nearly 10% in the past year; customers spend longer in shops and increasingly treat eating as part of the trip rather than a break from it. The demand is there.
Katie Papakonstantinou, Director of Services and Hospitality for John Lewis, said: ‘This is a real investment in something customers told us mattered. Sitting down for something to eat and drink has become part of how people shop and Platter is built for that.’
Wider investment in John Lewis stores
The Platter programme is part of an £800m multi-year investment in updating both the retailer's physical shops and digital experience. This summer, John Lewis announced £50m spent across five shops, including a £20m refurbishment of John Lewis Glasgow - its largest single-shop investment in recent years - alongside Cambridge, Leicester, Reading and Liverpool.
What stays the same?
Customer favourites remain across stores, including scones and fish and chips, with My John Lewis member benefits such as free hot drinks and cake still firmly on the table.
Each Platter eatery is designed around the scale and character of its shop, so what customers find will vary by location. At the time of writing, there are now Platter concepts operating at Bluewater, Chichester, and Reading stores.
Read more: Looking for more hot restaurants in London right now? Just take a peek at the very best cool and trendy restaurants in London!
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