Where are the Little Chefs going?

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Piatkow
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by Piatkow »

Hdeng16 wrote: Fri May 11, 2018 10:54
Piatkow wrote: Fri May 11, 2018 08:00
RJDG14 wrote: Thu May 10, 2018 23:27 Well part of it is that I think this diner concept, whether it be Little Chef or OK Diner, has sort of gone out of fashion - people are now looking for fast food or a quick snack when on the move.

On a side note, I find this a little bit weird, but I used to prefer Costa whereas I now seem to prefer Starbucks. The food and atmosphere in Costa used to be reminiscent of Cafe Nero (which has barely changed at all and is still the nicest of the three in my opinion) and Starbucks felt quite boring and bland, but everything in Costa has become more generic and mass produced feeling in the past 5 years while the menu in Starbucks has become quite interesting compared to what it was.
Costa was fantastic until Whitbread bought it off the Costa family.
Ridiculous statement. I'd explain, but roadtester has already done so!
Arrogant statement. You may prefer corporate clone outlets but that doens't mean that the rest of us should.
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roadtester
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by roadtester »

Piatkow wrote: Fri May 11, 2018 13:27
Hdeng16 wrote: Fri May 11, 2018 10:54
Piatkow wrote: Fri May 11, 2018 08:00
Costa was fantastic until Whitbread bought it off the Costa family.
Ridiculous statement. I'd explain, but roadtester has already done so!
Arrogant statement. You may prefer corporate clone outlets but that doens't mean that the rest of us should.
Nobody's sticking up for clone outfits - I was just pointing out that it was 23 years ago that Whitbread took over Costa which is a long time ago, so it's a bit late to be complaining about that now as if it were an aspect of Costa that could meaningfully be addressed.
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AAndy
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by AAndy »

Isn't it about the taste of the coffee?? ... or should it be about how the caffine stimulates one's brain ?(both of which are subjective I know).

On those points Costa Coffee is always my port of call... I find starbucks repulsive tasting and can take or leave nero..... and most of the others (small independants) are very hit miss...even day to day.

:D
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exiled
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by exiled »

I prefer Costa to Starbucks, but now prefer Tim Hortons.
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by Big L »

I'm also more a fan of Costa for coffee. Somewhere on the interweb I read that Starbucks roast their beans hotter and quicker, leading to (relatively) burnt outsides and raw insides, which gives their coffee its harsh flavour.

If I'm in Starbucks I will always order a pot of tea.
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by SarahJ »

https://www.facebook.com/readmehaltwhis ... 85/?type=3

The former LC at Bardon Mill on the A69 has now been Starbuckiszed
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by James Heaton »

SarahJ wrote: Fri May 18, 2018 14:54 https://www.facebook.com/readmehaltwhis ... 85/?type=3

The former LC at Bardon Mill on the A69 has now been Starbuckiszed
Swung by Thickthorn A47/A11 today. Main branding has changed to BK, but the EG diner is still open with temporary branding.

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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by Glenn A »

SarahJ wrote: Fri May 18, 2018 14:54 https://www.facebook.com/readmehaltwhis ... 85/?type=3

The former LC at Bardon Mill on the A69 has now been Starbuckiszed
Nice to see that frequent sight on my drives to the North East being given another use. It's been a familiar sight for drivers for 50 years. However, has the LC corporate red gone from the shutters and window surrounds( they still exist on the former LC on the A595)?
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by Bryn666 »

Given I hate coffee, and options for non-coffee drinkers are very limited in Starbucks this conversion malarkey doesn't help me one jot.

At least in Costa I can get a coke.
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by Big L »

Bryn666 wrote: Sat May 19, 2018 18:38 Given I hate coffee, and options for non-coffee drinkers are very limited in Starbucks this conversion malarkey doesn't help me one jot.

At least in Costa I can get a coke.
Starbucks make much nicer tea than coffee. Drink in, request a pot.
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by James Heaton »

James Heaton wrote: Fri May 18, 2018 18:25
SarahJ wrote: Fri May 18, 2018 14:54 https://www.facebook.com/readmehaltwhis ... 85/?type=3

The former LC at Bardon Mill on the A69 has now been Starbuckiszed
Swung by Thickthorn A47/A11 today. Main branding has changed to BK, but the EG diner is still open with temporary branding.
And the A15/A17 near Sleaford is presently boarded up, with a KFC totem up, so looks like that's well underway.

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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by Berk »

I don’t recognise this ‘harshness’ about Starbucks’ coffee everyone keeps going on about. 🤨

I guess I don’t have a single preference for coffee shops. It probably has more to do with what other food options they offer, or if (like now, when we have good weather) if they have plenty of outdoor seating.
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by Glenn A »

I'd much prefer to eat at a pub or independent restaurant than a chain. I notice the former Little Chef on the A595 near Carlisle now does well as a fish and chip restaurant run by someone called Paul( Paul's Plaice) and has decent Trip Advisor reviews, probably far better than when it was a Little Chef. ( Checking Trip Advisor reviews of Little Chef last year, it seemed ones in East Anglia and the South rarely scored more than two stars and were roundly criticised for poor hygiene, miserable staff, poor quality and high prices).
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by Glenn A »

Is it any wonder Little Chefs have gone with these reviews of the one in Popham, Hants?
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserR ... gland.html
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by roadtester »

Glenn A wrote: Mon May 28, 2018 11:29 Is it any wonder Little Chefs have gone with these reviews of the one in Popham, Hants?
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserR ... gland.html
Sad - and that was one that had previously been Hestonised as well.
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by KeithW »

Glenn A wrote: Mon May 28, 2018 11:29 Is it any wonder Little Chefs have gone with these reviews of the one in Popham, Hants?
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserR ... gland.html
This was the problem I highlighted earlier in the thread. Popham was probably the last little chef I stopped at having had decent meals there in the past. They had clearly cut down on staff as they seem to have cooked batches of food which were just kept warm. This just doesn't work with food like fried eggs, omelettes, gammon steaks etc. This begets a vicious circle. As word gets around trade declines costs are cut even more and so it goes.

What needs to be done is the sort of franchise operation that Denny's runs in the USA where you have to put $350,000 up front into the franchise and have $1 million net worth. That means those running the store have a major stake in making it work. It seems that they have found at least one franchisee in the UK as the first Denny's in the UK has opened in Swansea and the owner has plans to open 9 more. Denny's tend to operate in the same sort of locations and Little Chef used to, in a service area next to a Motel so they cater to guests for breakfast and dinners. While most lunch customers are passing trade.
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by SteveA30 »

Good news. Denny's is the kind of thing we need here to fill the LC gap and challenge the Mc/BK takeover . I used one in Florida and it was great. I hope they follow US practice and allow free coffee refills*. Here they charge half/price for a refill, if they are offered at all. OK Diner don't seem interested in expansion so hopefully Denny's will surge ahead.

*The waitress must call you 'honey', live in a trailer round the back, have 3 children and be bitter about her man drinkin' and runnin' off with some old hussy, the lousy no good *&^%*@*!
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by Glenn A »

roadtester wrote: Mon May 28, 2018 12:31
Glenn A wrote: Mon May 28, 2018 11:29 Is it any wonder Little Chefs have gone with these reviews of the one in Popham, Hants?
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserR ... gland.html
Sad - and that was one that had previously been Hestonised as well.
It was one of the busiest, being on the A303. Maybe the staff knew it was closing and didn't care, but prior to the big cull after 2010, Little Chef was falling behind its rivals and was becoming notorious for high prices, poor quality and poor customer service. All these count against a business and when the internet reached most of the population and Trip Advisor took off, Little Chef's reputation fell further to the point the brand died. People would probably drive another couple of miles to a restaurant that has four stars on Trip Advisor than chance a meal in a Little Chef with two stars. Also supermarkets doing breakfasts and lunch for under £ 5 hurt Little Chef even more, as the Olympic Breakfast was more than double this.
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by Repmobile »

The one on the A64, between Tadcaster and York (for some reason known as York East!) which was 'Hestonised' always seemed to get reasonable reviews on Trip Advisor right up to the end:

https://bit.ly/2seU0sl


It often seemed pretty busy when passing by and I suppose the adjoining Travelodge helped with trade, particularly for breakfast or evening meals etc.

It is still open minus LC branding, but I wonder for how long if EG want to finally kill them off.
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Re: Where are the Little Chefs going?

Post by Glenn A »

SteveA30 wrote: Mon May 28, 2018 12:50 Good news. Denny's is the kind of thing we need here to fill the LC gap and challenge the Mc/BK takeover . I used one in Florida and it was great. I hope they follow US practice and allow free coffee refills*. Here they charge half/price for a refill, if they are offered at all. OK Diner don't seem interested in expansion so hopefully Denny's will surge ahead.

*The waitress must call you 'honey', live in a trailer round the back, have 3 children and be bitter about her man drinkin' and runnin' off with some old hussy, the lousy no good *&^%*@*!
American diners have always worked because they are reasonably cheap, the food is decent for the money, the staff tend to know their regulars, and the owners or franchisees take a pride in their business. Also some have facilities like pool tables, showers and televisions to keep customers returning.
One place I could imagine a Denny's style diner doing well is on a fairly busy but remote road like the A65. Here the waitress will probably be some middle aged woman called Betty, who lives in a caravan at the back, been married a few times, knows a lot about him in his Scania lorry and thinks BMW drivers are mean tippers.
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