Little Chef restaurants used to scatter the UK’s roads, and they had over 400 premises – but one day, it seemed like they just completely disappeared without a trace
Back in the 90s, Little Chef restaurants were everywhere – and then one day, it just seemed as though they disappeared without a trace.
If you were en route to a different location in the UK for a staycation, the likelihood you’d pass one of the over 400 Little Chefs was high, and they served a variety of tasty fast food items you could enjoy, have a quick toilet break, and then get back on your way.
But one day, they just seemed to completely disappear, rather mysteriously, leaving people with more questions than answers. However, there seems to be a backstory behind the demise of the adorable chain.
Many people will remember the logo, which featured the little man in front of a red background – his nickname was thought to be “Fat Charlie”, reports the Daily Star.
The Little Chef was often somewhere Brits would stop if they needed to refuel, and also needed a little rest from driving. The restaurant seemed to dominate roadsides around the UK, then just disappeared – so what happened to it?
Someone took to X, formerly Twitter, to write: “Little Chef only started in 1958 in the UK and at its peak had 439 restaurants. Anyone remember it? Almost every road trip we ever went on when I was a child involved a Little Chef. Free lollipops. Generous portions. Something to look forward to after a day on the beach.” She then went on to add that it was a “shame” they’d closed due to “not keeping up with what people want (food in a hurry), outdated menus and some really bad business decisions.” Others agreed they had really good “memories” of the chain.
In a nutshell, it seemed that having 439 locations proved to be a lot to deal with. According to Little Chef’s former head of operations, Becky Parr-Phillips, the company’s owners knew they needed to cut costs to try and raise profits.
She told the BBC the business saw a “gradual” decline, and customers started to get narked about the changes being made. At the time, she said: “There were closures, the prices were hiked, you know the guests did start to call it Little Thief rather than Little Chef.”
It also changed hands many times between the late 90s and mid-00s. The number of branches kept reducing and, in 2005, it was confirmed a whopping 130 restaurants would close simultaneously. This left Brits with 234 restaurants.
According to LadBible, Little Chef was sold again before going into administration in 2006. It then changed hands once more, and further branches faced closure.
Then, in 2009 celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal came along to launch a show called Big Chef Takes on Little Chef. The TV hit saw him bring a new menu, and give a make-over to one of the restaurants in Popham to see if he could make changes to help the business thrive again in the noughties.
Even though critics praised his menu, it was never implemented across all the restaurants. Only some branches benefited from the changes, so it wasn’t enough to prevent the decline in business. By 2013 all Blumenthal’s ideas had been wiped, and the business was flogged again a few months later. At this point, only 78 branches remained.
Four years later it was sold again, and Little Chef saw more closures and reduced opening hours as well. By 2018 it officially closed its doors for good after opening way back in 1958. It’s sad, and we certainly miss seeing the mascot on long drives, but he’s no more.
Do you have a story to share? Email: danielle.wroe@mirror.co.uk
