John Lewis has revealed its new in-store restaurant concept in full for the first time, with the opening of the flagship Platter at Oxford Street.
Platter will replace John Lewis restaurants across 32 stores, from Exeter to Edinburgh, by the end of 2027, with Bluewater, Chichester and Reading already reopened. The programme forms part of an £800m multi-year investment in John Lewis.
Platter Oxford Street is the fullest expression of John Lewis’ new restaurant concept, with an open kitchen serving hand-stretched pizza, a made-on-site deli, a dessert parlour, a stylish bar overlooking the shop’s atrium and fifty outdoor covers on the fifth-floor terrace, above Britain’s busiest highstreet. With seating for 300, Platter is one of the biggest restaurants on Oxford Street.
The flagship Platter at Oxford Street will feature a new in-store Roastery. A Master Roaster will oversee the roasting of a single-origin Arabica bean coffee, sourced exclusively for John Lewis, to serve at the Oxford Street site. The coffee will also be available to buy and take home, both as beans and ground coffee bags.
It also houses The Residency, a rotating pop-up launching with London patisserie The Eclectic Collection, whose viral fruit-shaped desserts are available nowhere else outside their own two shops.
Changing consumer trends
The change reflects how differently people shop now. Hospitality accounts for more than 20% of John Lewis in-store transactions and sales have grown by nearly 10% in the past year, as customers spend longer in shops and increasingly treat eating as part of the trip rather than a break from it.
John Lewis opened its first cafe in 1965 and now has 62 cafes and restaurants across the country.
Customer favourites remain across the estate, including scones and fish and chips, and My John Lewis member benefits such as free hot drinks and cake. The restaurants are operated in partnership with Benugo, building on a ten-year relationship.
Each Platter is designed around the scale and character of its shop, so what customers find will vary by location.
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.
“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.”
Inside Platter John Lewis Oxford Street
An in-house coffee roastery: overseen by a Master Roaster, the unique bean will be used in Platter’s drinks, with the coffee also available for customers to buy and enjoy at home.
An open kitchen serving fresh pizza from hand-stretched dough, prepared in front of customers
A made-on-site deli with freshly prepared salads, cold meats and fish, and grab-and-go options
A dessert parlour with a full sundae menu, Belgian waffles and a chocolate tap
Fifty outdoor covers on the fifth-floor terrace, looking across the London skyline
A stylish bar overlooking the shop’s atrium. With marble counters and dark green leather interiors, it will serve cocktails like hibiscus margaritas and negronis, champagne and bar snacks including charcuterie, cheeseboards and truffle and parmesan fries
The Residency, a rotating pop-up with exciting premium brands, opening with The Eclectic Collection, known for their fruit shaped desserts.
Platter Oxford Street will sit alongside the retailer’s wider hospitality offer, which includes Benugo, Ori Caffè, Huffkins tea rooms, Jamie Oliver Cafe, the 1864 Rooftop and Kamakura at Oxford Street.
Investment in John Lewis shops
The Platter programme is part of an £800m multi-year investment in the retailer’s shops and digital experience. This summer John Lewis announced £50m 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.
