Where are the Little Chefs going?

[TheKeymeister]

Don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but I passed the former Little Chef on the A45 by the Blue Boar junction, which has been closed for some time, and saw that it was partially demolished. A bit of digging has brought up a planning application for the conversion into a McDonalds with Drive Thru. I'm not sure how successful it will be, as it's hardly the busiest section of A45 in the world, and the Little Chef always seemed fairly dead. That said, if I still lived in Rugby, I'd definitely use it on the way to work

[shampooefficient]

I've been digging through this topic, the ex and I had a tradition of stopping at a Little Chef whenever we were on a road trip (this is in the last six years or so) - more often than not the Alfreton one, cos I remembered it from being a kid (even though it's about 150 miles from home...). We usually found decent food, excellent milkshakes, and good service - perhaps we were lucky?

Even now I play "spot the ex LC building"...

[RichardA626]

I've been digging through this topic, the ex and I had a tradition of stopping at a Little Chef whenever we were on a road trip (this is in the last six years or so) - more often than not the Alfreton one, cos I remembered it from being a kid (even though it's about 150 miles from home...). We usually found decent food, excellent milkshakes, and good service - perhaps we were lucky?

Even now I play "spot the ex LC building"...

I sometimes keep my eyes open for ex-LC's on long distance drives.

[shampooefficient]

Have read about this one in Wolfie's excellent book - possibly listd as Alnwick, Brownieside or Ellingham?

http://goo.gl/maps/Q4xet

[Little Chef Lover]

Sadly, it seems that another Little Chef has bitten the dust. Yesterday I travelled to the Royston West branch and found it boarded up with the signs removed. Strangely enough, it still appears on their website and nobody has mentioned any further closures. Anybody know anything else?

[SteveA30]

Haven't noticed any recent closure but, some are finding new users. A303 at Sparkford, re-opened in February as Mattia Diner, an American diner, run by Italians, playing 50's rock n roll.

A31 at Picket Post, is now a Mcdonalds.

[J--M--B]

Not sure what is going on but there have been builders working at the Spean Bridge Little Chef recently. The windows had all been boarded up but that has been removed. I can't find a planning application so no idea what is being done.

[SteveA30]

Both of the A34 Sutton Scotney LC's are now converted to Costa.

[Ruperts Trooper]

Not sure what is going on but there have been builders working at the Spean Bridge Little Chef recently. The windows had all been boarded up but that has been removed. I can't find a planning application so not idea what is being done.

If there's no change of planning category, then a new planning application may well be unnecessary.

[Fenlander]

I was in the Sutterton Burger King a couple of days ago, it shares the building with Little Chef but do to a poor layout to get to the toilets you have to walk through the LC. There wasn't a single person in there apart from 2 members of stuff chatting with what I assume from the wages conversation they were having was another member of staff. Burger King on the other hand was busy.
I did notice while walking through that LC sell bags of Haribo, they're £1 a bag in my local Spar but LC were asking £2.15 a bag! If they're charging stupid prices like tht then no wonder they're empty.

[James Heaton]

I was in the Sutterton Burger King a couple of days ago, it shares the building with Little Chef but do to a poor layout to get to the toilets you have to walk through the LC. There wasn't a single person in there apart from 2 members of stuff chatting with what I assume from the wages conversation they were having was another member of staff. Burger King on the other hand was busy.
I did notice while walking through that LC sell bags of Haribo, they're £1 a bag in my local Spar but LC were asking £2.15 a bag! If they're charging stupid prices like tht then no wonder they're empty.

The Sutterton one is a recent reopening. For about 6 or 7 years, that was just sealed off, having been a Burger King in the early noughties. Noticed a few weeks ago it had reopened.

I think that's a common design, with the toilets at one end of the LC. The one near me (Thickthorn) certainly has it. That's quite an old LC (existed when I moved to Norfolk in 96) but was remodelled to the current design in c.2003.

James

[J--M--B]

Not sure what is going on but there have been builders working at the Spean Bridge Little Chef recently. The windows had all been boarded up but that has been removed. I can't find a planning application so no idea what is being done.

It is reopening as a locally owned cafe. It looks quite close to being ready to open.

[James Heaton]

Not sure what is going on but there have been builders working at the Spean Bridge Little Chef recently. The windows had all been boarded up but that has been removed. I can't find a planning application so no idea what is being done.

It is reopening as a locally owned cafe. It looks quite close to being ready to open.

There was someone up a ladder in the Long Sutton LC when I drove past today. Wonder if that's undergoing something similar?

Over the border I can think of at least 5 Norfolks that have reopened (2 McDs and 3 indies - was a 4th but that's closed again last time I drove past)

James

[SteveA30]

The new LC leaflet, shows a reduction of 16 in the list, compared with the previous list, from 2012.
Gone are Alcester,Balhaldie North, Barnsdale Bar both sides, Chicklade, Dreghorn, Harlow, Kinmel Park West, Lamberhurst, Raglan, both sides, Royston, Saughall, Sutton Scotney, both sides and, A34 Weston on the Green south. North survives.

Scotland is down to 1 LC, at Balhaldie South, which seems to do better than North.

A new tie-up is with Subway, who are now present in the LC's at Bere Regis, Markham Moor, and Talke so far.

Still in decline though, 74 remaining. In 1974, there were 126.

[chris486]

Still in decline though, 74 remaining. In 1974, there were 126.

That decline is nothing like as steep as I'd have guessed if asked.

Even though I don't like the food, I have a strong affection for the brand - in fact one of the first places I went to back in 2007 when I bought my first car was to the Little Chef near Forton on the A6. The food was rubbish as I expected it to be - somehow pleasantly nostalgic in its own way.

The coffee is really good these days and I sometimes stop for a brew, most recently at Talke and before that at Crewe Services on the old A52. Any excuse to take a photo of my car.

There was a Little Chef near what I now know to be a TOTSO at the A52/A523 but Mum would never have taken us there, For a few years after I got Ethel the Rover, this former Little Chef was an excellent café called Windy Ridge - it served excellent food but suddenly went into steep decline. When I drove past a few weeks ago I saw the site was fenced off for redevelopment.

A bit closer to home, the sites at Monks Heath and Adlington seem to have signs of activity.

[PeterA5145]

Still in decline though, 74 remaining. In 1974, there were 126.

That decline is nothing like as steep as I'd have guessed if asked.

At some time in between I think there were 400+ though.

[RickyB_uk]

Still in decline though, 74 remaining. In 1974, there were 126.

That decline is nothing like as steep as I'd have guessed if asked.

At some time in between I think there were 400+ though.

439 at its peak in 1999 according to Wikipedia.

So that's more of a decline, since it's a reduction of 83% in only 15 years.

[Piatkow]

Every time a do a long journey there seems to be one or two less than the last time. Some of the ones converted to Indian or Chinese restaurants seem to be going out of business as well.

Of course traffic is faster and cars more comfortable to drive these days so there is less incentive to break your journey unless you have small childred perpetualy desparate for the loo.

[chris486]

..Some of the ones converted to Indian or Chinese restaurants seem to be going out of business as well.

I've never one of these conversions thrive. The site at Monks Heath always seems to be reopening.

Of course traffic is faster and cars more comfortable to drive these days so there is less incentive to break your journey unless you have small childred perpetualy desparate for the loo.

This is why I am puzzled that the site on the A523 (Windy Ridge) didn't thrive. It is very close to Alton Towers although it is a bit bleak on that moor in winter.

[SteveA30]

I was aware of the 400+ LC's at it's peak, I have every map/leaflet since 1975 AFAIK. I was making the analogy that they were going backwards to their position in the early 70's.

There were 25 in 1968 and 44 in 1970, the only early figures I have. So, they seem to have slipped back to about 1972 in terms of numbers. Perhaps Subway can help a revival.

Various takeovers swallowed up Happy Eater, then AJ's and Kelly's Kitchen. LC were swallowed at some point in all of that, several times. Permira, the investment cowboys, were the ones who closed over half of the LC's, after they had already taken over the other 3 brands. That was the killer blow.

Some small chains are taking over old outlets gradually. Route 38 have moved in to old LC's at Trerulefoot rbt and top of Haldon Hill, a former HE. The other old HE/LC at Haldon has been the Haldon Diner for a few years now and does very well.The 3rd is Route 303 in the old Newcott Chef.

Eat & Go seem to be expanding slowly, Chicklade being their latest acquisition. Trouble is, if these small chains become big chains, some shark will eat them and close most of them. Yawn. The travelling public are the losers in all these irresponsible shenanigans.