June 23, 2008

LITTLE CHEF ANNOUNCES EXTENSION TO TOUR

The Bring Back campaign reaches Scotland!

Due to the success of its Bring Back campervan tour around 11 cities in England, Little Chef is happy to announce it is bringing the tour to Scotland, with dates in Edinburgh and Glasgow at the end of June.

Little Chef is bringing its all-singing, all-dancing VW campervan to invite the people of Edinburgh and Glasgow to take a trip down memory lane and relive their favourite experiences from days gone by.

We will be at Buchanan Street in Glasgow on Saturday 28 June and at The Gyle shopping centre in Edinburgh on Sunday 29 June giving out pancakes, lollipops and our now famous ‘I Heart Charlie’ and ‘Charlie Says Relax’ t-shirts.

Come along and see us if you can!
 

June 04, 2008

Tour reaches grand finale on the south coast

Our tour reached the end of its UK run along the south coast, with the van visiting Southampton, Bournemouth and Portsmouth. We had so much fun that this may not be the end of the tour at all… watch this space for further announcements!

Southampton
Talk about a day of two halves, a glorious morning followed by heavy rain in the afternoon. Despite the Bring Back van tour team taking a major soaking, we still managed to give away 1200 pancakes and lots of t-shirts. In fact, it looked like half the population of Southampton was wearing one of our special Charlie t-shirts! You could tell it was half term as lots of families stopped by to join in the fun!

Take a look at our gallery of images from Southampton.

Bournemouth
We were treated to an absolutely glorious day in Bournemouth – wall to wall sunshine. As a result, the pancakes literally flew off the stoves, so to speak, and we gave away 2500 – the most in a single day so far. We also gave away 3000 lollipops from our prime position near the sea! Everyone had a really great time and we even got to meet Gordon the Magic Tramp who is apparently a local hero… Check out the pics from the day!

Were you there? See if you can spot you and your friends!

Portsmouth
Portsmouth was a bit quieter than Bournemouth, but the interest in the van, and of course the pancakes, was still constant throughout the day. Our final stop on the tour saw us giveaway 1300 pancakes, and the super weather followed us from Bournemouth.

Take a look at our gallery of images from Portsmouth.

So, that’s it from the campervan tour… for now. Thanks to everyone who visited us and left their messages on what they would choose to Bring Back – keep checking back here for updates and to see if you can spot yourself in the pictures!

June 03, 2008

TAKE THAT – THE GREATEST COMEBACK OF ALL TIME?

Take That, the 90’s boyband who made a triumphant return to the charts in 2006, has been voted the greatest comeback of all time, according to a new poll, with 45 percent of Brits believing their revival has been the most successful ever.

The survey of 1600 people, carried out on behalf of roadside restaurant chain Little Chef, also revealed that the other top revivals included John Travolta, who received nearly 20 percent of the vote, following his comeback performance in Pulp Fiction and Cadbury’s Wispa Bars, which polled 13 percent of votes, and made a limited reappearance on shop shelves following a Facebook poll to bring them back. Other celebrated comebacks included Christopher Biggins, The Spice Girls, Mr T from the A-Team, perms, Dr Who and Led Zeppelin.

The research, conducted to mark Little Chef’s 50th Birthday, comes following the relaunch of popular TV shows from days gone by, such as Gladiators, and the resurgence of 80’s nostalgia in programmes such as Ashes to Ashes. The roadside restaurant chain will itself soon be the subject of a major revival, following the announcement that Michelin-starred chef, Heston Blumenthal, is to revamp the iconic brand as part of a Channel 4 documentary later this year.

In fact, a huge 79 percent of people believed that retro-chic is firmly back in vogue across the UK, and didn’t want the comebacks to stop. According to the survey, the top things we’d love to bring back from days gone by include 1970s kids TV show Swap Shop and comedy favourite, Fawlty Towers, fashions including bell bottoms, bands such as The Beatles and retro-food like black forest gateau.

Cathy Stevenson, marketing director at Little Chef, comments:
“This research just goes to show that Britain loves a good comeback, whether it is a pop band, a clothing trend or a TV show. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the results seem to reflect very recent comebacks – such as Christopher Biggins following his win on ‘I’m a Celebrity’. However, there have been many great comebacks over the years, so we’re sure people will have their own favourites.”
The survey also revealed that the era most people would bring back is the 1980s, which a third of Brits (33 percent) stating this was their favourite decade. Reasons ranged from childhood and school memories, to the fashions and music. Similar reasons were given for the 1970s, which was second with 23 percent of the vote, the 1960s with 22 percent, the 1990s with 14 percent and the 1950s with seven percent.

Cathy Stevenson continues:
“This is a special year for us – our 50th birthday - and to mark the celebrations, we wanted to canvas the opinions of the nation to find out what trends and celebrities they would most like to see make a revival. What is clear is that retro-chic is now firmly part of our lives and this can be seen through the nation’s obsession with retro nights, clothes and music.

“It is clear that favourite decades are linked to special memories of things that have happened at a certain time. Little Chef has been serving up great roadside food since 1958, so perhaps the 1950s would be our favourite decade!”

Little Chef marked its 50th birthday in May 2008, and has embarked on a nationwide campervan tour to find out what people would keep at Little Chef ahead of its relaunch, as well as other things they would bring back from the past 50 years.

Cathy Stevenson concludes:
“We know Little Chef inspires fond memories for many people across the country, and, like the things identified in the research, we do have a certain retro charm we are keen not to lose. However, we are not living in the past, which is why we’re using our 50th birthday as the time to relaunch our new look and offering later this year. Keep an eye out for the new look Little Chef – perhaps Black Forest Gateau will be on the menu!”

May 28, 2008

Bank Holiday fun in Norwich and Peterborough

The May Bank Holiday saw us visit the east of the UK, with the van stopping off in Norwich and Peterborough.

Norwich
We were lucky to have a gloriously sunny day and were situated in a prime spot just outside the Chapelfield shopping centre. There were constant queues from 10am and we gave away 1500 pancakes. Lots of you also stopped and sat in the van to tell us what you would Bring Back, so thank you for your support! The t-shirts were particularly popular and it was great to see people walking around in their ‘I Love Charlie’ and ‘Charlie Says Relax’ t-shirts all day!

Were you there? See if you can spot you and your friends!

Peterborough
Again, we had a great location in Peterborough at Cathedral Square. However, unlike Norwich, the weather was not on our side, but it didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the local people! Despite the constant rain, we gave away lots of pancakes with our chefs cooking them under a gazebo. Good job us Brits are used to typical Spring weather!

Take a look at our gallery of images from Peterborough.

May 22, 2008

Weather fails to dampen spirits in Birmingham and Bristol!

Following a glorious weekend in Leeds and Newcastle, more typical British weather greeted the tour when it arrived in Birmingham and Bristol - rain. However, it didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm for our pancakes!

Take a look at our gallery of images from Birmingham and Bristol.

Were you there? See if you can spot you and your friends!

Birmingham
Despite the weather, our visit to Birmingham was extremely busy, with the queue for pancakes remaining steady throughout the day. Perhaps this was down to our prime position outside the Bullring, or the fact that the people of the Midlands didn’t seem to mind a bit of wet weather. In fact, we gave away the most pancakes so far – 1800!

Bristol
It was much sunnier in the West Country, and we had a steady flow of people visiting the van, eating pancakes and leaving messages. It wasn’t just humans that made the effort though – the local pigeons also seemed to be very intrigued by what was going on!

Next stop… Norwich on 24 May and Peterborough on 25 May – come and see us if you’re in the area!
 

May 13, 2008

Little Chef celebrates 50th birthday!

On Tuesday 13 May 2008, Little Chef, the nation’s favourite roadside restaurant, will celebrate its 50th birthday. We have come a long way since our first 11-seater restaurant opened in Reading, in 1958 – the same year the UK got its very first motorway.

The Bring Back campaign is our way of celebrating our milestone birthday, and we will certainly coming back in style later this year following our partnership with top chef, Heston Blumenthal.

Cathy Stevenson, head of marketing at Little Chef, comments:
“Little Chef is celebrating its 50th birthday in style. We are taking to the streets to canvas the opinions of the nation to find out what trends and celebrities they would most like to see make a revival, and to also find out what they would keep about Little Chef when we revamp the restaurants later this year.

“We know Little Chef inspires fond memories for many people across the country, and we do have a certain retro charm we are keen not to lose. However, we are not living in the past, which is why we’re using our 50th birthday as the time to relaunch our new look and offering later this year. We’re taking inspirations from our fellow (nearly) 50 year old, Madonna, by reinventing ourselves - keep an eye out for the new look Little Chef later this year!”

Little Chef now has 186 restaurants throughout the country, serving 15 million people each year. The favourite dish is the famous Olympic Breakfast, which the traveller consumes over 2 million of a year.

Little Chef customers munch their way through 10 million free range eggs, 12 million rashers of bacon (stacked on top of one another that's a pile of bacon 11 miles high!) and has some famous fans as well ranging from John Major to Chris Moyles and Prince Harry.
 

May 12, 2008

Little Chef enjoys the spring sunshine in Leeds and Newcastle!

Our Bring Back campervan stopped off in Leeds and Newcastle last weekend, with hundreds of people taking part in the campaign and enjoying pancakes in the sun…

Take a look at our gallery of images from Leeds and Newcastle.

Were you there? See if you can spot you and your friends!

Leeds
A very busy day as the weather brought out the shoppers and sunseekers of Leeds! We gave away 1500 pancakes, hundreds of t-shirts and lots of lollipops.

A massive thank you goes out to the people of Leeds for really getting into the spirit of the Bring Back campaign by leaving lots of messages, and for making it the busiest day of the tour so far!

Newcastle
A quieter day as the people of Newcastle chose to head to the parks and pubs to enjoy the sunshine rather than the shops – and we don’t blame them! Although quieter, we still thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Newcastle.

Next stop… Birmingham on 17 May and Bristol on 18 May – come and see us if you’re in the area!
 

May 09, 2008

Little Chef has fun in Manchester and Nottingham!

Well, our Bring Back campervan tour kicked off in fine form in Manchester and Nottingham. You may have been there – if you were, then let us know what you thought!

Take a look at our gallery of images from Manchester and Nottingham.

Were you there? See if you can spot you and your friends!

Manchester
Our legendary pancakes proved as popular as ever, in fact we seemed to feed the entire crowd heading to and from Old Trafford for the Man Utd vs West Ham game! 1300 pancakes were gobbled up in total in Manchester, which kept our chefs busy.

The t-shirts we have had specially designed for this campaign also proved a big hit. The people of Manchester seemed to prefer the ‘Charlie says Relax’ design – perhaps a message to their team as they aim for the Premier League title?

Nottingham
The people of Nottingham were great and really got behind the Bring Back campaign, leaving messages in our specially-adapted campervan about what they would like to see return from days gone by!

The queues to sample the pancakes were steady all day and we gave away 1250 – not bad for a day’s work. Also, full marks to the little boy who rode past on his Chopper bike – really buying into our love of nostalgia!

May 01, 2008

LITTLE CHEF ANNOUNCES NATIONAL TOUR DATES! Are we coming to your home city?

Little Chef is coming to a town or city near you! The iconic roadside restaurant chain has announced the dates of a nationwide tour throughout May, to mark its 50th birthday and the start of its ‘Bring Back’ campaign.

As part of the campaign, Little Chef is hitting the road in our all-singing, all-dancing VW campervan to invite the people of the UK to take a trip down memory lane and re-live their favourite experiences from days gone by. Added to this, people can also grab a free pancake or an iconic Little Chef lollipop!

Little Chef asked over 1,600 people what they would bring back from the worlds of TV, music and fashion over the past 50 years, to mark the roadside restaurant chain’s 50th birthday celebrations. According to the British public, we would most like to spend our days watching ‘Swap Shop’ and ‘Fawlty Towers’ on TV, wearing a halter neck top and bell bottoms while we listen to the Beatles on the radio and eat a Black Forest Gateau.

In fact, nostalgia, it seems, is very much back in vogue with 79 percent of Brits thinking that retro-chic has made a revival!

If you have a different opinion, why don’t you visit us on one of the dates below to let us know what you think! Alternatively, leave your message here.

Find out about our Little Chef tour dates.

 

May 01, 2008

BACK TO THE 80’S - Survey reveals what we want back in our lives

Forget iPods, sat navs and the other latest technological advancements of the new millennium. Britain is a retro-chic nation that would most like to relive the neon-lit days of the 1980s, according to new research by Little Chef.

Little Chef asked over 1,600 people what they would bring back from the worlds of TV, music and fashion over the past 50 years, to mark the roadside restaurant chain’s 50th birthday celebrations on 13th May, which will see Michelin-starred chef, Heston Blumenthal revamp the iconic brand as part of a Channel 4 documentary later this year.

Nostalgia, it seems, is very much back in vogue with 79 percent of Brits thinking that retro-chic has made a revival. Whereas almost a third of men thought that the 60’s was the best decade to live, 36 percent of women prefer the 80’s – the era of shoulder pads and New Romantic music. Although it seems that the nation’s love for the 1980s has its limits, as perms – the iconic hairstyle of the decade – was the fashion trend that would make the most unwelcome return, bucking recent attempts to bring the must mocked hairdo back.

In fact, according to the British public, we would most like to spend our days watching ‘Swap Shop’ and ‘Fawlty Towers’ on TV, wearing a halter neck top and bell bottoms while we listen to the Beatles on the radio and eat a Black Forest Gateau. These are the things that we would most like to bring back from the past!

Cathy Stevenson, Marketing Director at Little Chef comments:
“Little Chef has been serving up great roadside food since 1958, and so to mark our 50th birthday celebrations, we wanted to canvas the opinions of the nation to find out what trends and celebrities they would most like to see make a revival.

“Some of the results were surprising and quite unpredicted, but what was clearly apparent is that retro-chic is now firmly part of our lives, with eight out of ten people believing that this is the case. This can be seen through the nation’s obsession with retro nights, clothes and music.”

Leading the way as the greatest revival of all time is Take That, with almost half of those surveyed (45 percent) agreeing that the band’s takeover of the charts has earned them the top spot for ‘Best Comeback’. Despite Paul McCartney and Heather Mills’ divorce battle, the nation’s love for The Beatles remains strong with almost 35 percent of the people surveyed stating the group was the one people most wanted back in the charts.

‘Swap Shop’, the Saturday morning staple of the late 70s and early 80s presented by Keith Chegwin, topped the poll as the number one kids’ TV show people want to see back on our screens, with other classics like ‘Tis Was’, ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Button Moon’ also featuring in the top ten.

The children’s TV presenter we would most like to see make a return to the small screen is Phillip Schofield – with 30 percent of women clearly having a soft spot for the mischief that he and Gordon the Gopher used to get up to in the broom cupboard!

In terms of fashions from days gone by, Trinny and Susannah may have their work cut out as one in ten males would like to bring back tank tops, with mullets, see-through visors and hyper colour t-shirts also featuring in the top ten. Women are slightly more reserved with halterneck tops (26 percent) and bellbottoms (17 percent) being cited as the clothes that they would most like to see back in their wardrobes.

The survey also revealed the nation’s opinions on formerly popular food. Despite the likes of Angel Delight and Iced Gems tickling our taste buds, it seems that we are a nation of dessert lovers as a huge one in five people would love to feast on a black forest gateau, showing that perhaps we are not so health conscious after all.

Cathy Stevenson concludes:
“We know Little Chef inspires fond memories for many people across the country, and, like the things identified in the research, we do have a certain retro charm we are keen not to lose. However, we are not living in the past, which is why we’re using our 50th birthday as the time to relaunch our new look and offering later this year. Keep an eye out for the new look Little Chef – perhaps Black Forest Gateau will be on the menu!”