For half a century, Little Chefs were a familiar sight by the side of the country’s major roads. If you were a fan of mixed grills, pancakes and fruit cocktail, then they were the place for you.
Sadly, by the early years of the 21st century it was becoming clear that not many people were actually clamouring for these foods.
The company launched in 1958 and expanded rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s, getting a further boost in the 1980s when it bought rival chain Happy Eater.
But the firm, which once had 439 restaurants in the UK, went into administration in 2007, and despite various attempts to keep the brand going, the writing was on the wall.
Despite having its menu revamped in 2008 by Heston Blumenthal, in 2012 it was announced that 67 of the remaining 161 restaurants would be closing.
The number of sites continued to fall, and it was eventually bought by Euro Garages which converted the restaurants into other brands such as Greggs and Starbucks.
But what happened to the old restaurants? We’ve taken a look at some the former sites in Nottinghamshire to see what they became.
Blyth (A1)
This was on the A1, just south of Blyth on the way to Ranby.
In 2010 it became Flo’s Cafe, which is still there today.
East Bridgford (Fosse Way)
Located between East Bridgford and Bingham, this Little Chef hit the headlines in 2001 when a court heard (unproven) allegations about how two men had met in the car park there as part of a murder plot.
The site later became a Chinese restaurant, and is now Indian Nights restaurant.
Holme Pierrepont (A52)
This was on Radcliffe Road between Gamston and Radcliffe, at the back of the Holme Pierrepont lakes.
After the Little Chef closed it first became the Lalon Indian restaurant, and then the Haveli, also an Indian restaurant. It was renamed as the Mewar Haveli in 2014, and is still there today.
Its own website describes as “a truly unique Nottingham venue”, but don’t just take their word for it. Our very own Food Sleuth gave it a solid eight out of ten when he visited back in October 2018.
Markham Moor (A1)
There were two Little Chefs here, on either side of the carriageway.
The restaurant on the southbound side of the A1 at Markham Moor was one of the most interesting Little Chef buildings around.
Built in 1950, the distinctive ‘butterfly’ building was designed by architect Sam Scorer, who died in 2003. He transformed an old petrol station into a startling Little Chef with a hyperbolic-paraboloid roof design. (Two of these roofs were created; the second is in Lincoln at the old library.)
The restaurant has long closed but the building itself is still there.
The building opposite on the northbound side of the A1 (by the Shell garage) lasted for a few more years than its partner – long enough for it to be rebranded in the updated Little Chef font.
It’s thought it was the last of the Little Chef restaurants in Nottinghamshire to close. It is now a KFC.
Newark (A46 / A17)
In a prime site near Newark Showground, this is now the Friendly Farmer farm shop and restaurant, which serves breakfasts and lunches.
The empty Little Chef building was bought by Lincolnshire farmers David Dennis and Robert Elwes in 2005. At the time, Mr Elwes said the philosophy behind the new venue (‘fresh from the farm to the fork’) came about following a disastrous meal he had at a Little Chef where he and his wife were unable to eat the chicken dinner they had ordered.
Where once you could buy an Olympic Breakfast at Little Chef, you now have the choice of a Herdsman’s Breakfast at £9.70 (two bacon, two sausages, two eggs, hash brown, beans, black pudding, mushrooms, two fried tomatoes, toast) or a slightly smaller Farmer’s Wife at £7.95.
North Muskham (A1)
Bizarrely, this is another Little Chef that got caught up in an undercover police operation.
In 2005, a court heard how two significant players in the Newark drugs scene met undercover cops at the site, before driving one of them to a tree where £6,000 of heroin had been hidden.
It is now a Burger King and a Greggs.
Ollerton (A614)
The A614 Ollerton roundabout is well known to thousands of drivers, and used to have a Little Chef on the site.
It is now a fish and chips restaurant and takeaway called The Big Fish.
Redhill (A60)
This is on the A60 Mansfield Road next to the petrol station just off the Redhill roundabout, at the junction with the A614.
It is now the Banyan Tree, another Indian restaurant – and another that has been well-reviewed by our Food Sleuth restaurant critic.
Trowell Services (M1)
According to the Motorway Services Online website, the Little Chef here opened in 1997, and later became an M&S Simply Food store.
Worksop (St Anne’s Drive)
Just off the roundabout at the junction of the A57 and A60, this former Little Chef opened as a Starbucks in 2013.
There is also a Subway at the site.
* Have we missed any? Probably. Let us know on david.whitfield@reachplc.com.
