Lidl quietly launches Deluxe pop-up restaurant in London
Lidl has quietly launched a pop-up restaurant in London, a move that comes as rival Aldi also preps its own one-off restaurants, as both try to convince consumers of the quality of their food in the run-up to Christmas.
By Sarah Vizard
Lidl’s pop-up, called Deluxe, opened its doors in Shoreditch on 15 November. It promises an “innovative menu” that diners could easily recreate at home.
Customers can book for lunch or dinner from Wednesdays to Sundays until 14 December. On Tuesdays it also runs wine-tasting events.
Lidl has not directly associated itself with the pop-up however Marketing Week understands that it is behind the project. The logo of the restaurant is identical to the discounter’s premium product range, also called Deluxe. The restaurant also serves reindeer carpaccio, a new addition to the Deluxe range this year.
Proceeds from the sale of food and drink at the restaurant will go to CLIC Seargeant, Lidl’s chosen charity this year, while the company behind the project, The Black Arts Company, announced earlier this year that it would be working on a collaboration with Lidl.
Lidl has not responded to requests for comment.
The strategy fits with Lidl’s ongoing #surprises marketing campaign, where it looks to introduce people to its food and drink without them knowing its from Lidl. The first TV campaign showed customers at a farmers’ market amazed at the quality and price of goods before being told it was from Lidl.
Its Christmas ad follows a similar theme, with a group of consumers tucking into a Christmas meal that they speculate could be from Waitrose or Marks & Spencer’s before the big reveal that it’s actually from Lidl.
Lidl is not the only supermarket using pop-ups to try to bring its fare to a new audience. Aldi is also opening a number of restaurants where it will service up a luxury meal featuring its products designed by celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.
Aldi’s meal will be free, with customers having to tweet @AldiUK using the #aldifestivefeast hashtag to be in with a chance of winning.
Asda, meanwhile, is using the “Taste of Winter” event in London this weekend to showcase its new premium product range, which features £5 lobster and £39 Serrano ham. It claims to offer “the very best posh food at pocket-money prices”.
All three grocers are looking to expand into London, where they have a lower footprint than in the north of England.
