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tom66 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 15, 2023 16:57
The problem I had with F&B's is the food was basically of Wetherspoons standard - not offensive, but not great by any means. (I never tried their pasta dishes to be fair, but their pizzas were distinctly unimpressive, as were their burgers.)
They also relied heavily on overpriced menus with heavy discounting to bring prices down - this has a psychological effect of making people think they're getting a "deal" (I remember my father taking us there because he had a 50% off voucher... which is more or less the standard offer if you have their 'app' installed on your phone now.) The problem I suspect is when people keep getting 'deals' the effect weakens each time and people just realise it's a ruse.
Before COVID though, they did seem reasonably busy, though I suspect they have been on a long run decline and COVID pushed them over the edge.
The biggest problem imo is they fell behind the times and are expensive even with the discounts for what you get.
Can't comment on other areas of the country but in recent years we've had a lot of other chains like Turtle Bay, Zaap and lots of independent pubs / bars which have seriously upped their game lately.
They're all a class above F&B for the same price give or take, they're not the only ones impacted with Prezzo, Byron, TGI Friday's, Zizzi, Pizza Express, ASK all heading down the same path and most of them have been in administration or on the edge at least once. We're down to 2 now from about 12 at one point wouldn't be surprised to see them go either as they're mostly empty while down the road you won't get a seat.
Brightside must have major financial backing, as the former Newcott Chef, later Route 303, has been demolished and a steel girder framework is now going up. Scheduled for a Spring 2023 opening, mid summer seems more likely at the very earliest. Wonder if the other 2 at Saltash or A1 Stretton are also undergoing a total rebuild?
The last two weeks, Herbie's on the former A14 near Cambridge services has given early evening respite for a coffee.
Looks like a former LC, now an American diner (burger bar). It's been quiet but not empty both times I've visited. Looks like a good place if you like burgers or chips.
A sad loss and popular with lorry drivers and motorists in the know is the Lockerbie Truckstop at Johnstonebridge, which closed recently. This was very popular for its low priced meals and good customer service. I know the truckstops at Ecclefechan and Carlisle live on, but the Lockerbie one had a high reputation.
Glenn A wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 14:04
A sad loss and popular with lorry drivers and motorists in the know is the Lockerbie Truckstop at Johnstonebridge, which closed recently. This was very popular for its low priced meals and good customer service. I know the truckstops at Ecclefechan and Carlisle live on, but the Lockerbie one had a high reputation.
If it was successful then why has it closed?
How would you like your grade separations, Sir? Big and complex.
Glenn A wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 14:04
A sad loss and popular with lorry drivers and motorists in the know is the Lockerbie Truckstop at Johnstonebridge, which closed recently. This was very popular for its low priced meals and good customer service. I know the truckstops at Ecclefechan and Carlisle live on, but the Lockerbie one had a high reputation.
If it was successful then why has it closed?
Maybe rising costs like many places. I can think of a pub locally that had a good reputation for meals, but has closed its kitchen due to the cost of energy and ingredients.
Big L wrote: ↑Sun Feb 12, 2023 15:20
I don’t eat beefburgers, so most of the American fast food chains are of relatively little use to me. Thankfully Tim Hortons (Canadian) are currently on a big UK expansion.
I'm also a fan. After being highly recommended by a friend, my first Timmies was at the one that's located on the former M62 W/B Burtonwood Services, which was a F&B's for a while before being converted. Whenever I'm heading East, I do now often make a point of stopping off for my morning coffee and a spot of breakfast, which are both reasonably priced.
The other import that I particularly liked was Popeye's, which we visited at the Metro Centre in Gateshead. There's one in Liverpool city centre now as well that I haven't been to yet (when we're in the city centre, it's usually an independent place that's order of the day), but no sign of any drive-through style ones locally, yet.
While I'm thinking of it, Kirkby (of all places) does have a drive through Taco Bell, which is a brand that doesn't seem to have spread quite like I thought it might have done.
traffic-light-man wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 13:09
I'm also a fan. After being highly recommended by a friend, my first Timmies was at the one that's located on the former M62 W/B Burtonwood Services, which was a F&B's for a while before being converted. Whenever I'm heading East, I do now often make a point of stopping off for my morning coffee and a spot of breakfast, which are both reasonably priced.
I came across them in Canada and it was nice to be able to get a Panini rather than a burger and a decent coffee without all the posturing from a Starbucks Barrista !
Big L wrote: ↑Sun Feb 12, 2023 15:20
I don’t eat beefburgers, so most of the American fast food chains are of relatively little use to me. Thankfully Tim Hortons (Canadian) are currently on a big UK expansion.
I'm also a fan. After being highly recommended by a friend, my first Timmies was at the one that's located on the former M62 W/B Burtonwood Services, which was a F&B's for a while before being converted. Whenever I'm heading East, I do now often make a point of stopping off for my morning coffee and a spot of breakfast, which are both reasonably priced.
The other import that I particularly liked was Popeye's, which we visited at the Metro Centre in Gateshead. There's one in Liverpool city centre now as well that I haven't been to yet (when we're in the city centre, it's usually an independent place that's order of the day), but no sign of any drive-through style ones locally, yet.
While I'm thinking of it, Kirkby (of all places) does have a drive through Taco Bell, which is a brand that doesn't seem to have spread quite like I thought it might have done.
There’s a popeyes opening at Parkgate in Rotherham. Not ideal for a motorway trip though. Oddly South Yorkshire is a hotspot for Taco Bells for some reason. They’re decent enough and at least something a bit different.
I’m actually not a fan of Tim hortons. The sweets are ok but I found the burgers to be undercooked and dripping in grease. Not my sort of thing.
Hdeng16 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 19:22
Oddly South Yorkshire is a hotspot for Taco Bells for some reason. They’re decent enough and at least something a bit different.
I’m actually not a fan of Tim hortons. The sweets are ok but I found the burgers to be undercooked and dripping in grease. Not my sort of thing.
It's probably a local franchise operation run by somebody who knows the area well enough to open several branches. I do like Taco Bell and hadn't realised the expansion had gone so far - previously I only knew of the ones at Lakeside (Grays) and Chelmsford.
I've only had donuts and hot chocolate from Tim Hortons and they were nice enough. I keep meaning to try their new store in Harlow but have no reason to.
Must have been a slow news day, LC went bust and sold all the sites to Euro Garages in 2018 but by then there was only a handful still open.
It's a promotion for the podcast linked at the end of the article. I have to say I'm not keen on news outlets including promotions for their other programmes as news stories, but the BBC aren't the only ones that do it. At least it is a fairly detailed and informative article rather than just "download our podcast".
Little Chef, as the BBC article pointed out, became known as Little Thief in its later years as the quality declined and the prices went up. Also competition from supermarket cafes, pubs selling meals and fast food restaurants helped to kill Little Chef.
The Little Chef at the Redhill island (A60/A614) has been an Indian restaurant/takeaway for a while now.
You can't tell from the inside or the outside that it used to be a LC and the food really is excellent whether or not you eat in or take away.
Suspect a fair few have ended up as similar kinds of ventures really.
C, E flat and G go into a bar. The barman says "sorry, we don't serve minors". So E flat walks off, leaving C and G to share an open fifth between them.
Never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.
ForestChav wrote: ↑Sat Apr 13, 2024 22:01
The Little Chef at the Redhill island (A60/A614) has been an Indian restaurant/takeaway for a while now.
You can't tell from the inside or the outside that it used to be a LC and the food really is excellent whether or not you eat in or take away.
Suspect a fair few have ended up as similar kinds of ventures really.
This was the LC at Caxton Gibbet in 2008, after a late shift I used to call in there for my evening meal but just before it closed the food had become inedible as it was cooked before 5 PM when the cooks went home and had dried up in the oven. https://www.google.com/maps/@52.2286372 ... &entry=ttu
The Little Chef on the A2 between Newington and Rainham here closed about 25 years ago (I suspect its card was marked when the M2 opened several decades earlier). It then became a car dealership, and it's now a wedding and events venue. The building has clearly retained the stereotypical LC architecture.
I went out road tripping on the A303 in summer 2013, and made a point of stopping at several Little Chefs en route, as I had a feeling it would be the last time I ever visited one.
-- SABRE Maps - all the best maps in one place....
RichardA626 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 13, 2024 21:41
Also Little Chef seemed to have over-expanded by buying up too many other chains of roadside restaurants, and couldn't keep them all refurbished.
The real problem is that the chain was acquired by a firm of venture capitalists who minimised costs to maximise profits , cut the maintenance budget and flogged off the land to other companies such as Burger King when it started losing money.
The number of outlets maxed out at 439 but after that the decline was rapid.
2000 - 439
2006 - 235
2007 - 193 (this was when my local LC closed, by then I had given up on them)
2009 - A number, mainly on motorways, converted to M&S simply food
2010 - 162 left
2012 - 119 with some outlets becoming Burger King
2017 - down to 70 and the remains sold to Euro Garages
The last time I ate at LC was the outlet near Yeovilton and the food was quite literally inedible.
