Decks restaurant

Tesco is set to roll out its new restaurant concept, Decks, to the South of England for the first time as it step ups the reinvention of its hypermarkets.

The 100,000 sq ft Tesco Extra in Broadstairs, Kent, will host the second Decks venture, following the launch of the first at Tesco’s Coventry Arena store in August.

Decks, a 100%-owned Tesco venture, is one of two main in-store restaurant models being trialled in its larger stores alongside the Giraffe chain. A national roll-out is being planned by Tesco if the first stores are a success.

A family-friendly casual dining experience, it features three ‘Deck’ stations: a ‘breakfast deck’, ‘carving deck’ and ‘pastry deck’.

It will target cinema-goers from the neighbouring Vue complex and a nearby health club in a bid to attract a new, younger customer, with extended hours on Sundays when the rest of the store is shut.

As Tesco turns its hypermarkets into retail and leisure ventures, it is also planning to launch more branches of its Harris + Hoole coffee chain.