Little Chef

Win Your Dream Christmas Winner

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 UTC

For Wigan-based Barbara Mitchell, Christmas came a day early in 2009, when a knock on her door revealed that she was the winner of Little Chef’s ‘Win Your Dream Christmas’ competition.

Hand delivered on Christmas Eve, Mrs Mitchell from Shevington received the sack full of gifts worth over £7,000; including a family holiday to Orlando, Florida, a Sony Bravia 37” LCD TV, a luxury Christmas hamper, Nintendo Wii with sports pack and a Cannon Powershot S90 digital camera.

Retiree Barbara said: “I entered the competition whilst having breakfast in a Little Chef restaurant; we had been over there visiting family and ironically, dropping off their presents before Christmas.

“When I found out that I had won I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t realise just how many prizes were included and was absolutely gobsmacked when I saw them all piled up in my living room. It certainly made Christmas that extra bit special this year – especially for our children and grandchildren who were all treated to an extra gift.”

Claire Knox, marketing manager at Little Chef said: “We wanted to make one of our customers Christmas’s really special this year and what better way than to have an array of gifts delivered on Christmas Eve. We are so pleased that Mrs Mitchell and her family have enjoyed their prizes and that it helped to make the festive season that extra bit enjoyable.”

Your Little Office at Little Chef

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 UTC

Little Chef restaurants around the country now offer free WiFi for customers who want to work, play and stay connected.With no log on charges, membership fees or hidden conditions, Little Chef free WiFi, in association with �the cloud� means you can eat, drink and catch up on emails at no extra cost at our 174 restaurants across the UK*. Simply connect your Wi-Fi enabled laptop, pda or phone and start surfing.Marketing Director Cathy Stevenson said: �We are a very mobile society and there is an increased requirement for business people to be accessible even when they are on the go. It�s still important to take regular breaks so Little Chef has introduced free WiFi to make it easier for its customers to take a working lunch.�Free WiFi isn�t the only change at Little Chef � our new winter menu offers a range of delicious new dishes such as tempura battered prawns, coq au vin and traditional bites including bangers & mash and steak & ale pie to keep you motoring through the chilly months. If you fancy something lighter, there is also a selection of jacket potatoes and toasties to help fill the gap.To find your nearest Little Chef, visit www.littlechef.co.uk* Only a small number of restaurants may not be able to offer this service.

'Full English' Tops the Table for British Breakfast Favourites

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 UTC

Despite it being ‘National Sausage Week’ (2nd – 8th November), it appears that if given the choice, Brits would opt for bacon as their favourite breakfast ingredient (1 in 3) with only 19 per cent of people preferring sausages. Northern Ireland was the only region to buck this trend choosing sausages over bacon.In a sizzling survey of 1,000 people produced on behalf of Little Chef, the Full English Breakfast was universally chosen as the nation’s favourite breakfast choice (53%) with four times more votes than second choice cereals (11%). Other choices which failed to make the mark included pastry, fresh fruit, waffles, pancakes, beans or egg on toast, porridge and kippers. Sunday, unsurprisingly, is the most popular day to indulge with nearly half of the vote (49%) but should people choose to tuck in midweek, Monday is the most likely day for a full English Breakfast.Kippers proved least popular with less than one per cent of the vote and it appears that the Welsh love porridge more than any other region with 15 per cent of respondents choosing it as their favourite, more than three times the national average.Black pudding appears to have won the nation’s hearts with 93 per cent of people opting to keep it as part of their Heston Blumenthal all new Olympic Breakfast. It is also the third most popular item to be added to an original Little Chef breakfast, after tomatoes and mushrooms.The research also revealed the nation’s top five English Breakfast ingredients as being:o Bacon 32%o Sausage 19%o Eggs 14%o Black Pudding 8%o Hash brown 8%Fried potatoes appeared bottom of the table, chosen by less than two per cent of people whereas the nation’s love for fried bread and hash browns lay firmly with women rather than men. When choosing bread, white proved a clear winner with more than half of the vote (54%) and when asked how they prefer their eggs, 58 per cent of people said fried, more than doubling that of scrambled, the second choice at 23 per cent.Tomato sauce proves to the condiment of choice overall although brown sauce is clear winner amongst men and respondents from Northern England. Surprisingly a quarter of Scots prefer to keep their breakfast pure with no sauces.Interestingly, price and the eating environment featured very low in terms of importance with more than two thirds of people citing the quality of ingredients as the most important factor when choosing a breakfast and only a quarter of people preferring a full plate.Cathy Stevenson, Marketing Director at Little Chef said: “Famous for our breakfasts, we poll consumers regularly to gauge changing trends and preferences. Whilst some of these results aren’t that surprising it’s pleasing to see that the ‘Full English’ remains the firm favourite as is witnessed in strong sales.“Our Olympic Breakfast and Early Starter are the best selling dishes across the 174 restaurants, outselling classics such as fish and chips, scampi and steak and ale pie. Despite the uproar when Heston decided to revamp the Olympic Breakfast, his all new version is the best selling dish on the menu at our York, Kettering and Popham restaurants, although over two thirds of people choose to put the beans back in!”

Did Heston Change Little Chef?

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 UTC

On Wednesday 28th October TV viewers can see the impact of Heston Blumenthal�s makeover on Little Chef. Nearly 12 months since the Michelin-starred chef revamped the Popham restaurant, the programme shown at 9pm on Channel 4, follows the progress of the company and reveals its plans for the remaining 172 restaurants. Since Little Chef at Popham was revamped last year, the restaurant saw a 500 per cent increase in sales immediately after the programme and is now consistently up 150 per cent year on year. This summer saw two additional restaurants, York and Kettering West open in the Heston style. In the two months since launch, both restaurants are also seeing a dramatic increase in sales with customers eager to taste the new menu for themselves. The planned next phase of the Little Chef overhaul will see a �2million investment into giving another five restaurants the Heston treatment during the next 12 months, creating more than 100 jobs. The remaining restaurants are also seeing changes as the Autumn/Winter menu launches with additions including a range of pies from Heston�s preferred supplier, Dunkleys. Famous for its iconic Olympic Breakfast and Jubilee Pancakes, Little Chef tasked Heston with introducing a new flair to the roadside restaurant chain. Famous for unusual and innovative dishes such as snail porridge, the owner of the Fat Duck was given a budget of �350,000 and six months to create a new menu and interior. Building on existing menu changes such as free range eggs and fish from sustainable sources, Heston introduced dishes based on British classics such as bangers and mash and steak and ale pie, continuing the focus on high quality ingredients. He also added his unique twist, such as a spray of �smell of the chippy� which comes with every portion of fish and chips. Little Chef chief executive Ian Pegler said: �We set Heston a real challenge and are delighted to say it has been a huge success for the chain. Our teams have worked incredibly hard to implement the new concept and as a result we are receiving fantastic feedback from customers, both on the quality of the food and our customer service. �We have big plans for the future of Little Chef and want to bring this offering to many more of our customers. The next 12 months will see the Heston menu rolled out even further with five planned new restaurants. We are also working hard on developing the rest of the Little Chef estate taking the experience of working with Heston to continue the improvements to our menu.�

Little Chef Breaks into The Good Food Guide

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 UTC

Little Chef is celebrating the inclusion of its Popham restaurant in the prestigious Good Food Guide 2010.

Last year Little Chef worked with Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal to revamp Popham as part of the Channel Four series Big Chef Takes on Little Chef.

The restaurant has been a huge hit with loyal, existing and new Little Chef customers and, as a result, has been included in The Good Food Guide 2010 (published September 8th 2009).

Inspectors for the Guide were impressed by the cooking of dishes like braised ox cheeks and Hereford steak and Abbot ale pie at the Popham eaterie and awarded it a cooking score of two out of ten, comparable to a good quality gastropub.

Elizabeth Carter, editor of The Good Food Guide, said: “The minute I walked in I knew it belonged in The Guide – it was so welcoming, vibrant and had a real buzz. I’m confident other diners will think so too.”

Ian Pegler, Chief Executive of Little Chef, said: “The inclusion of Little Chef in the Good Food Guide is truly ground breaking for both Little Chef and for the sector in which we operate. Heston’s input and commitment to Little Chef has been invaluable, and inclusion in the guide is testament to that. The delivery of his concept by our staff is truly amazing and they are to feel justly proud of themselves. I know Heston will feel the same, as his personal interaction with them was very influential.

“We are committed to ensuring that every customer, at every Little Chef restaurant, enjoys a quality experience at every level, from the food and service to value for money and will be continuing to develop at pace. Our entry now gives us even more to build on for the future. We will be striving to see our York and Kettering restaurants joining Popham in the 2010 Good Food Guide.”

Heston Blumenthal said: “I am overjoyed with this news. Inclusion in The Good Food Guide is a great barometer of success and it’s fantastic news for Little Chef Popham to be recognised by such an established British food guide.”

Little Chef announces first stage rollout of Heston Blumenthal project

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 UTC

Little Chef has revealed details of phase one of its roll out of the new style restaurant created by Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal.

After months of speculation, the iconic roadside restaurant chain has confirmed that a further two restaurants – in York and Kettering – are to be relaunched in the same style as the brand’s Popham restaurant, which Heston revamped for the Channel 4 series, Big Chef Takes on Little Chef.

The two new restaurants will also feature the same menu that Heston introduced at Popham.

Since the series aired in January this year there has been intense interest as to whether Little Chef would implement Heston’s changes across its entire 174-strong estate.

The refurbishment of the restaurants in York and Kettering, which will create a minimum of 35 new jobs locally, is now underway and will be filmed for a further episode of Big Chef Takes on Little Chef.

&Ian Pegler, Chief Executive of Little Chef, said: “Big Chef Takes on Little Chef was a huge hit and the fact that there has been so much interest in a further episode and what happens next is a great indication of how fondly the media and the public view Little Chef.

“Heston’s menu and the redesign of Popham have been very popular and, after very carefully analysing the results of the trial there we feel the time is right to enter the next stage of development. We are now ready to take the concept to restaurants in both the North and Midlands to see how they are received.

“It’s great to be working with Heston again and we are delighted to have his continued support.”

A follow-up of Big Chef Takes on Little Chef, produced by TwoFour Productions, will be broadcast on Channel 4 in the autumn.

Award Winning Eggs

Thu, 28 May 2009 00:00:00 UTC

Little Chef’s on-going commitment to responsible farming has been recognised with a prestigious Good Egg Award from Compassion in World Farming.

The award, which recognises the commitment of companies using eggs from cage free hens, was presented to Little Chef at an influential and star-studded event in the House of Commons on 14 May 2009.

Little Chef, which switched to free range eggs two years ago, was one of 34 organisations to receive a Good Egg Award alongside the BBC, Starbucks and Debenhams.

Cathy Stevenson, Marketing Director of Little Chef, said: “We are proud to have been awarded a Good Egg award. We use around 10 million eggs every year in Little Chef restaurants and are pleased that our efforts to ensure only free range eggs are used have been recognised.”

Compassion in World Farming's chief executive, Philip Lymbery said: “Our spread of winners this year really demonstrates that the European food industry is taking this issue seriously.'We've got companies from all sectors making a move to cage-free eggs, including the catering operations of public bodies, hospitals and universities. They are clearly responding to what they think consumers want and are doing what's best for the future of their business.'

Big News at Little Chef

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Iconic roadside restaurant chain Little Chef has unveiled a new look and trial menu, which have been developed by Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal as a result of a Channel 4 documentary series made by TwoFour Broadcast, which will air in January 2009. The new “Little Chef experience” is now available to the public at Little Chef’s Popham restaurant, which is situated on the A303 near Winchester. The programme will follow Heston Blumenthal in his bid to breathe some fresh ideas and energy into the much-loved restaurant chain.

The Popham restaurant was chosen as the location for this trial for two reasons, the demographics of its catchment area, comprising true representation of Little Chef customers - business, families and tourists. Secondly, for its convenient location to Blumenthal’s two restaurants in Bray, The Fat Duck and The Hinds Head allowing him to spend time at both locations.

Blumenthal immediately began to work on a fresh creative concept - initially looking at the menu and quickly extending his influence to all elements of the dining experience. This included the introduction of Ab Rogers, the award-winning designer, who gave the restaurant a fresh new look and up-to-date re-branding, with bright signage and an innovative interior – the famous Charlie logo still pride of place. The results of the Popham project are currently on trial with a view to a potential national roll out.

Commenting on his Little Chef experience, Heston Blumenthal says:
"I have such fond childhood memories of Little Chef and was really excited about the challenge to put them well and truly back on the map. Everyone has a story to tell about this much loved and truly iconic British brand.”

Favourite dishes have been revamped like The All New Olympic Breakfast - £6.95 and are joined by some new dishes including Hereford Steak and Abbott Ale Pie - £7.25, Braised Ox Cheeks £9.75 with desserts of Chocolate Truffle Slice £3.75 and Jubilee Pancakes £3.75. Families remain a key focus for Little Chef and Blumenthal was eager to encourage a children’s menu where the dishes were a reflection of those served to the adults, encouraging families to eat a similar meal together. The new Children’s menu comprises Organic British Hamburgers £3.45 and Scampi (from sustainable sources in Scottish Waters) £3.45, Children’s breakfast £3.25 and Vanilla ice cream served in a cone topped with a chocolate flake and sprinkled with popping candy £2.00 (or £1.00 if ordered with a main course).

Little Chef which is currently celebrating its 50th year, has been opening new branches and re-opening branches throughout the country. Since its purchase by Private Equity firm R Capital in 2007 and under the management of new Chief Executive Ian Pegler, the brand has invested heavily in placing Little Chef firmly at the helm of British roadside restaurants.

Ian Pegler comments:
“The opening of the trial site at Popham is a really exciting time for us and the latest step in Little Chef’s extraordinary history. 2008 really has been the year of revitalisation for Little Chef and this project with Heston and Channel 4 has married perfectly with our continuing long-term strategy to bring the brand back into the hearts and minds of the British public. For us, it is important to make the brand relevant for a new generation, and working with a chef as unique as Heston has been a fantastic experience and resulted in real learnings at Little Chef. Indeed the menu focuses on all the key things that sum up what Little Chef wants to be – British, quality, value-for-money and relevant for all audiences from families to business customers.”

The layout and design of the new restaurant was also key to the dining experience and Heston Blumenthal worked closely with designer Ab Rogers who created a bright new look which focuses on the fun-factor, nostalgia and taps into the traditional look of the ‘diner’ to engage customers. It also has three clear dining areas - booths for families and groups wanting a more intimate dining experience, a communal table for those dining alone or wishing to work on their laptops, and a ‘grab and stay’ more casual area for those seeking a quick coffee and a snack, such as a busy commuter. Even the toilets have not escaped the Ab Rogers and Heston Blumenthal touch, where the ambient sounds of the kitchen are fed into the lobby with the aroma of coffee and finally in the toilets themselves an interactive extract sound appears all about food.

The results of the trial project will be carefully reviewed and assessed, taking into consideration all customer response to the concept.

Little Chef helps cook up a storm for Pudsey

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Pudsey looks set to get a helping hand from Sheffield-based roadside restaurant chain Little Chef as it raises funds for this year’s BBC Children in Need Appeal.

Whilst tucking into the nation’s favourite Little Chef dishes, diners will be invited to take part in various fundraising activities, such as face painting, sponsored bikes rides and pancake races.

Claire Wormley, marketing manager at Little Chef, is determined to make a significant contribution to this year’s fundraising total:

“We are really excited to be fundraising for Pudsey across our network of UK-wide restaurants, whilst raising awareness and money for disadvantaged kids. We’ve been celebrating our 50th birthday this year and we are hoping to end what has been a really successful year for Little Chef on a high.

“Little Chef is based in Sheffield and we are looking forward to getting involved in the Appeal night show at Meadowhall. Together with other local businesses, we hope to make sure that South Yorkshire fundraisers do themselves proud. I’m sure Charlie and Pudsey can make it happen!”

In 2007, BBC Children in Need raised £37 million, with £3,890,275 of this amount funding projects in North West England.

Little Chef in Big Comeback

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Roadside restaurant chain Little Chef is celebrating the latest step on its climb back to glory by announcing the official re-openings of its first restaurants since the company went into administration in early 2007. The Shiptonthorpe and Warwick North restaurants, which have gala opening parties on 8 October 2008, start a programme of many former sites to re-open due to increased demand.

The good news comes as Little Chef, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year, saw an increase of between five and 12 per cent in sales over the school summer holidays due to more people holidaying in the UK. The roadside chain has also recently re-launched its menu, bringing greater focus on healthy foods as well as keeping established favourites such as the Olympic Breakfast and Jubilee Pancakes.

Added to this, a renewed investment in marketing and a focus on rebuilding the brand has helped Little Chef to relaunch itself to the public.

Chief executive Ian Pegler, who rejoined Little Chef in March 2008, is upbeat about the future of the roadside icon:
“The reopening of the Shiptonthorpe and Warwick North restaurants is a momentous occasion, not only for the brand and its customers, but also for the staff, and signals how far Little Chef has come since it went into administration in 2007. They are both prime sites on good roads, and both have great potential for the future. There have been no new sites or re-openings for a number of years, so this really is the start of things to come. It is our intention to continue to grow the business, which means re-opening several former sites this year, to continue to respond to renewed demand. “2008 really has been the year of revitalisation for Little Chef and is the beginning of a long term strategy to bring the brand back into the hearts and minds of the British public. Our sales are up, our menu is now more focused on what people want – healthier options, snacks, and more choice - and we have invested heavily in a marketing and PR push which has re-engaged both the public and our staff with the business and what we want to achieve.”
Ian Pegler continues:
“There has been significant coverage of the issues that the brand has had in the past – these re-openings are the start of the good news story of Little Chef.”
Little Chef is holding gala openings for both restaurants, opened by Peter Ward, chairman of R Capital, on 8 October 2008.

Little Chef celebrates 50th birthday

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 UTC

To celebrate its big birthday Little Chef has launched a campaign to find out what people would Bring Back from the past 50 years. Its own research showed that nostalgia is very much back in vogue with 79 percent of Brits thinking that retro-chic is making a revival. 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.

Shoulder pads, new romantic music, perms, bell bottoms and halter neck tops are all making a return to the streets of the UK as the British public look to attempt to bring back the 80’s. TV favourites which people which is return to our screens include ‘Swap Shop’, ‘Fawlty Towers’, ‘Tis Was’, ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Button Moon’.

Cathy Stevenson, head of marketing at Little Chef, comments:
“Little Chef is celebrating its 50th birthday in style. We are taking to the streets and to canvas the opinions of the nation to find out what trends and celebrities they would most like to see make a revival. It is clear 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.

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!

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!”

Little Chef now has 186 restaurants throughout the country offering favourites such as the famous Olympic Breakfast, which the traveller consumers over 2 million of a year.

Do you have an opinion on what you would like to Bring Back? Let us know at www.littlechef.co.uk/bringback