2018 was the year we lost Toys R us. Toys R us kids and
collectors alike shed a tear as Geoffrey the Giraffe waved goodbye and walked
off into the sunset as the company that had been trading worldwide since 1949
went into administration. But one other familiar business only ten years
younger than Toys R Us slipped away from us without anyone saying anything! First
opened outside Reading in Berkshire in 1958 Little Chef (originally scheduled
to end at the end of 2017) eventually defunked at the end of January 2018 with no
publicity. Most of the population seem oblivious to Little Chef’s demise which also
included the chain's prime location at Popham in Oxford once remodeled back in
2011 by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal in an attempt to revitalize the chain.
Having an official website still up and promoting premises that have long shut
up shop and replaced by Starbucks, Greggs or EG Diners has not been helped matters!
After a series of
blog posts documenting the history
and last remaining Little Chefs I could come across I had hoped to mark this
sad loss of an iconic British institution with a final edition of Dine out
before they die out but it seemed to almost happen overnight BUT I was able to
find a lovely tribute to it. A gentleman called Mr. Abdul Malik has reopened a former
site located at the side of the A55 in Llanddulas, North Wales as a new Asian
restaurant called
Little Indian Chef!
Little Indian Chef, Llanddulas, Abergele LL22 8HJ. Situated off Junction 23 of the A55 in Llanddulas, North
Wales I have been unable to establish when these premises started trading as a
Little Chef but they were converted into a
Happy Eater in the mid to late 1980’s
(both chains were owned by the same company, Imperial Group) only to suffer a
similar fate again in 1997 when the Happy Eater brand ceased to exist after
being labelled "
tired" by its new owners Granada. In 2006 it was reopened
again as Diner Fifty 5 (“
Well worth stopping for”) then Oinkeys in 2011 (NOT worth
stopping for according to Tripadviser!) and after they stopped trading in 2015
and the site stood empty and due for demolition until it was purchased by Mr. Malik,
(owner of a highly-rated Suhail Indian restaurant in Prestatyn) when plans for
a housing scheme on the site fell through. The restaurant was opened this year, the month Little Chef stopped trading and personally I thought the new name and utilizing
of Little Chef’s 'Fat Charlie' chef mascot was a stroke of genius, and according
to a recent
Daily Post interview he received great feedback about it, saying,
“
This had been a Little Chef and that is why
we wanted to bring back this name, it was really my son’s idea. It is also
simple as well and something people will remember. People seem to be really like
it. We have invested in the site to upgrade it as it was rundown when we took
over. The aim now is to build up our reputation for our food, having a nice
restaurant is one thing, but it is making sure our food is good all the time
that counts in the long term.” My wife and I visited them recently and we were
suitably impressed, the food and decor was great and I wish them every success with
it and highly recommend you visit, sample the fine cuisine and perhaps raise a
glass to its namesake.
Previous Little Chef Sites:
©
Arfon Jones 2018. All images are copyrighted throughout
the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment