Dine out before they die out! Little Chef (1958 – 2018) Remembered

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:

LittleChef Northop Hall.

Little Chef, Wrexham.

Little Chef,Bangor.

Little Chef Dolgellau.

Little Chef Builth Wells.

Little Chef Uttoxeter.

Little Chef Shrewsbury

© Arfon Jones 2018. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Dine out before they die out: Wimpy, Rotherham

Wimpy, Rotherham Superbowl, Wortley Road, Kimberworth, Rotherham, S61 1QN. With Little Chef's demise now official I've made it my mission to visit as many of them as possible and in doing so I have neglected the Wimpy Bars somewhat, let's set that right. Located within the Rotherham Superbowl (“It's not just bowling - It's Superbowling!”) I wasn't able to determine exactly how long they have been open but according to one member of staff it had been open for some time and its rather a nice one. It offers the classic Wimpy experience but with the added extra of arcade games, fruit machines and an all night Bowling alley! Serving 10am until late the menu doesn't have all of your Wimpy favourites on it (The Bender and Brown Derby were decidedly absent) however to give them their due the food is of a high quality and served by friendly staff.

Previous Wimpy Sites:
Streatham Wimpy.

Previous Little Chef Sites:
LittleChef Northop Hall.
Little Chef, Wrexham.
Little Chef,Bangor.
Little Chef Dolgellau.
Little Chef Builth Wells.
Little Chef Uttoxeter.
Little Chef Shrewsbury

© Arfon Jones 2017. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Dine out before they die out: Little Chef Shrewsbury

Bayston Hill Services, Hereford Road, SY3 0DA. Here we are again, my seventh Little Chef! This time on my travels through Shrewsbury, sharing it's premises with a Burger King this one has been serving since 1994 and received a makeover in 2011 to help maintain, “a classic, retro Little Chef experience”. I was delighted to finally find a Little Chef that hasn't had its opening times restrained to 7am -3pm, seemingly keeping to the opening times stated on the official website! Thus allowing us to have dinner at 4:30!

I had the 'The Works Burger' “Our flagship burger. Two 6oz burgers on a bed of mixed salad leaves, two beer battered onion rings, tomato slice, back bacon rasher and melted mature cheddar cheese. Taste it to believe it.” I did, it was delicious! Tasty food aside, when I visited their website I was also drawn in by the promise of a singing toilet! “Our singing toilets have to be seen to be believed” I can confirm that they do indeed sing! Bird song and the sound of flowing water in fact, 'piped' into the wash-rooms as demonstrated by this short video that I recorded.

Previous Little Chef Sites:
LittleChef Northop Hall.
Little Chef, Wrexham.
Little Chef,Bangor.
Little Chef Dolgellau.
Little Chef Builth Wells.

Little Chef Uttoxeter.

© Arfon Jones 2017. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Dine out before they die out: Little Chef Uttoxeter

A50, Ashbourne Road, Uttoxeter, Staffs, ST14 5AA. Another month and another Little Chef to add to my mission list! We have actually used this one a couple of times in the past, located on the busy commuting road between the M1 –M6 it has been serving customers on the A50 since 1995 and according to its website it's known as the “best roadside restaurant on the A50”. Manager Alison Moore has been at the helm since 2004 and she along with her trusted deputy Kate “always provide a warm welcome, great service and the best Olympic breakfast this side of the east Midlands” and I can't really argue with that, we had the 'Royal Breakfast' (the classic Olympic breakfast “crowned” with a griddled 6oz sirloin steak) cooked to our specifications it was perfect, and we enjoyed it whole heartedly. Much like all the other Little Chefs, this one is also due for closure in six weeks, with no clue as to what the future will bring as preparations are underway outside for an A50 'Growth Corridor' a multi-million pound Government investment aiming to, “cut congestion, address safety concerns, support local businesses, create more jobs and opportunities for Staffordshire people”... and bypass the Little Chef site! So if you are on the A50 and hungry don't stop at the McDonalds, cross over to the Little Chef and enjoy the before listed features.

Previous Little Chef Sites:
Little Chef Northop Hall.
Little Chef, Wrexham.
Little Chef, Bangor.
Little Chef Dolgellau.
Little Chef Builth Wells.

© Arfon Jones 2017. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Dine out before they die out: Little Chef Dolgellau/ Builth Wells

The A470... the major long-distance road in Wales that stretches from Llandudno to Cardiff, 186 miles long, it is quite possibly my least favourite road to travel on. Although it passes through two of Wales' national parks, Snowdonia National Park and the Brecon Beacons I find that its' narrow, single carriageway winding roads become very tedious after a time, more so during busy holiday periods! Nevertheless, I braved it in order to add two more Little Chefs to my list, this time Dolgellau and Builth Wells.

Dolgellau, Mile End Services, Dolgellau, Gwynedd LL40 2AB. An infrequent stop for me over the years as I was rather partial to their Jubilee Pancakes (first introduced to the menu in 1977) situated within the Snowdonia National Park, this restaurant was popular with mountain bikers, ramblers, photographers and countless holidaymakers, you will note that I said “was” in that sentence, Dolgellau Little Chef ceased trading in March 2017 and I have been informed that the entire brand will be a thing of the past by 2018. At the time of writing this post Dolgellau Little Chef is being refurbished and due to be reopened as a new Starbucks.

Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, LD2 3SS. Located on Station Road, Builth Wells the official Little Chef site (which once again advertises the wrong opening times) invites us to “pop in for a cuppa with our friendly local team” and once you have done that they suggest that you, “go see the towns mascot, the Black Bull known to the locals as ‘The Builth Bull’, or if you fancy travelling slightly further afield, why don’t you take a trip to the beautiful Elan Valley Dams or visit the Red Kite Feeding Station, Gigrin Farm”. First opened in 1987 this Little Chef is particularly dear to me, because between 1988 and 1994 my family and I would brave the A470 and travel South to visit Builth Wells each year for the Royal Welsh Show, one of the largest agricultural shows in Europe and so would be regulars at this establishment in the evenings and each time my brother and I would compete against each other, if we ate ALL our food we would be given a lollipop by the waitress! I was awarded many a Little Chef lollipop for cleaning my plate at this place I can tell you!

Little Chef (and Burger King) employees Nora Morgan and Myra Price

A classic Little Chef, it has actually been sharing its premises with a Burger King since 1999. My wife and I stopped off for lunch, still largely a Little Chef, it is strange seeing people eating Flame Grilled Whoppers when there isn't enough seating space in the Burger King section. Mrs Jones had the Royal Breakfast (the classic Olympic breakfast “crowned” with a griddled 6oz sirloin steak) and I had Chilli Con Carne. Having enjoyed my lunch I was able to chat with two ladies working there, Nora and Myra who have been at the Little Chef since 1988! So it is in all likelyhood both these ladies would have at some point awarded me a lollipop one time for cleaning my plate! And this time round was no exception!

 

© Arfon Jones 2017. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Dine out before they die out: Little Chef Rhostyllen/ Bangor

It seemed like a simple enough plan, book-end a trip to Wrexham with two Little Chef locations. One would provide breakfast and the other would serve us afternoon tea. But instead I was served a reminder of how important detailed research is when embarking on these excursions!

Little Chef, Wrexham Rd, Rhostyllen, Wrexham, LL144EJ
Address provided by Google we drove along the A55 express way looking for the familiar sign but I my heart sank when I noticed a Starbucks that seemed to be trading from a familiar style of building... I went in to ask if I had the right address and my theory was correct I was now standing in a former Little Chef! Sure enough when it was announced in 2013 that three of North Wales' Little Chef restaurants were to close due to “trading unprofitably for a number of years due to a variety of economic and locational factors” Rhostyllen was one of the three that was axed. A great shame, we stopped there all the same and I took a photo of what is now a Starbucks/ Subway.

Little Chef, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 4BG

Having brushed the Rhostyllen disappointment aside we later visited the Bangor site for afternoon tea, boasting an “experienced team with over 30 year’s service between them” this Little Chef is located next door to a Burger King and a Travelodge and is a perfect stop after a visit to Beaumaris Castle. The Little Chef website states that the restaurant is open Saturdays 08:00 – 20:00 so imagine my disappointment on arriving at 5:00pm and discovering a sign (inside the restaurant) informing us that they are now open from 7am to 3pm Monday to Sunday... So there you go, two misses on my mission to visit the last remaining Little Chefs and Wimpy Bars in the UK! I fully intend to go back to the Bangor site though, now that I have the actual opening times I can correctly tick it off my list!

© Arfon Jones 2017. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Dine out before they die out!

When Mrs Jones and I are out and about on outings, we often find ourselves looking for place to eat and I have noticed that some of the familiars are not around as much as they used to be.... Case in point, Wimpy, all the good things that we expect from a hamburger-based eating establishment on the high street but with the added bonus of having it brought over to your table on a plate and you get to eat it with a knife and fork! Very upmarket! and typically British... Funny when you consider how “Wimpy Grills” was first established by a Mr Edward Gold of Bloomington, Indiana in 1934 who later licensed the Wimpy (inspired by Popeye's pal J. Wellington Wimpy) franchise to British restaurant chain J. Lyons and Co in 1954. Lyons and Co. opened their first UK based "Wimpy Bar" at the Lyons Corner House in Coventry Street, London as a novelty, having fast-food section served within their more traditional Corner House restaurants. Sure enough it was a success and it led to the establishment of separate Wimpy restaurants serving only hamburger-based meals and a British institution was born. At its height in the 1970 there were 500 restaurants serving hamburgers across the UK but sadly by 1989 the number of locations had dropped to 381. It seemed that Wimpy was loosing the battle to McDonald’s (who had opened their first UK restaurant in 1974). It was also during this time that Grand Metropolitan (whom owned the rights to Burger King) had bought the rights to Wimpy, and started converting their "counter service" restaurants to the Burger King's because it had a greater global brand recognition (interestingly the first UK Burger King was opened in 1977 in the same Coventry Street premises that Wimpy started out in 1954!). In 2002 there were approximately 300 Wimpy establishments in the UK and Ireland and now in 2017 there are only 81 still in business, now I am no mathematician but I have noticed that the numbers are going down! I must stress that I am not one of these Moaning Minnies that blames the bigger chains for the decline. A quick look up and down the high street tells me that it's a jungle out there and there are several restaurants competing for our appetite and money so I (personally) don't blame the Clown, The King and Colonel for this.

Moving on from the High Street we stop off at the roadside for another classic British institution (albeit inspired by an American concept) the Little Chef. First opened near Reading in Berkshire in 1958 as travellers had started to frequent the new and expanding road networks of the United Kingdom. English caravan designer, artist and philanthropist Mr. Samuel Alper OBE (1924– 2002) inspired by the small roadside diners he had frequented in America realised his vision of a family friendly place to stop and eat that provided a break from the usual roadside eating establishment inhabited by truckers and bikers and by 1968 there were 25 Little Chef restraints located beside the UK's roads 44 by 1970 and 100 outlets by 1972! By the time they added Jubilee Pancakes to the menu in 1977 there were 174 Little Chefs up and down the country! Little Chef was doing great, it only had one real roadside competitor, Happy Eater (which had been founded in 1973 by Michael Pickard) But the competition ended in 1985 when Happy Eater owners the Imperial Group conglomerate sold its brand and 75 restaurants to Little Chef owners Trusthouse Forte (later just Forte) and so both brands ran side by side into the 1990's.

Little Chef introduced the Olympic breakfast in 1994 and a spin-off brand called "Little Chef Express" in 1995 to rival fast food outlets which had started to become more commonplace before the chains were bought up in an aggressive takeover by Granada in 1996. At its peak in 2000 there were 450 restaurants trading but all good things... In 2006, it emerged that Little Chef was undergoing serious financial problems and had lost nearly half of its branches in five years. Little Chef was taken into administration, and the company was rescued in 2007 by RCapital, a UK private equity group, which paid less than £10 million however 38 of the 235 branches were not included in the sale and were closed immediately the decline of Little Chef was blamed on the increased numbers of pub restaurants and service stations having Marks & Spencer Simply Food sections and coffee chains such as Costa and Starbucks and of course the Clown, The King and Colonel. In 2012, Little Chef announced that it planned to close 67 of its failing restaurants and year by year another restaurant would close and now at the time of writing this, with only 70 restaurants remaining it has been revealed that Little Chef is facing yet another takeover that could see it completely disappear from our roads forever! Euro Garages already in partnerships with Starbucks, Subway, Greggs and Burger King are in “advanced talks” to buy the brand and its restaurants this has left many Little Chef employees fearing for the restaurant's future! 

“So Arfon, this is all very interesting but where are you going with all this?” Well, feeling some what saddened at the apparent decline of these classic eating places I, Arfon Jones, have decided to make it my mission to seek out the remaining Wimpy and Little Chef establishments I will frequent and document them on this site, we've lost Woolworths and British Home Stores and now it looks like we might loose the Bender Burger and Olympic Breakfast too! So join me in this little segment that will hopefully have you salivating and savouring your memories and encouraging you to revisit! First two.

Wimpy, 160 Streatham High Road
Streatham, London, SW16 1BJ

Conveniently adjacent to Streatham ODEON is one of the oldest Wimpys in Britain, having been open for 42 years! Nice and clean and everything you expect of a Wimpy Bar. On the first leg of my mission I had the Mega Burger comprising of a 100% beef burger, cheese, onions and ketchup finished with the the trademark bender frankfurter sausage with a side order of chips. Followed by desert the classic Brown Derby, a doughnut served with ice cream, chocolate and nuts. Very nice it was too, being an establishment that has been open and in the same hands for 42 years the staff were friendly and professional. I highly recommender a visit.

 

The Mega Burger (complete with trademark bender sausage) with a side order of chips. The other Wimpy classic
the Brown Derby, a doughnut served with ice cream, chocolate and nuts.

 and

Little Chef Northop Hall, A55

Little Chef in Northop Hall located on the A55 their website informs us, “We are on the border of England and Wales which makes it easy to access lots of popular attractions with Chester Zoo and the Blue Planet aquarium less then 20 minutes away there's plenty to keep the kids entertained” (can't argue with that), “around 1 hour away from Holyhead restaurant a perfect stop off on your way from Ireland” again quite true, as the other 3 Little Chefs you once would have passed on your way to Holyhead (Penmaenmawr, Menai Bridge and Gaerwen) have long since closed. We both had the 'Early Starter' Breakfast comprising of a rasher of back bacon, British pork sausage, a griddle-fried free range egg, two hash browns and Heinz baked beans served with toast opting for the additional extra griddled tomato, mushrooms (Mrs Jones also had the black pudding slice) To once again quote their website, “Our staff here at Northop Hall are friendly and helpful. We pride ourselves on being a happy team” no argument here, very friendly staff, nothing was too much trouble. Bonus points for the free T-shirts and lollipops!

'Early Starter' Breakfast and free lollipop!

My sincere thanks to former Little Chef employee Adrian Atkins for very kindly correcting some errors and providing further information. Many thanks Adrian!

  

© Arfon Jones 2017. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.