TV viewers saw the impact of Heston Blumenthal’s makeover on Little Chef. Nearly 12 months on, Heston returned to the revamped restaurant at Popham on the A303 near Basingstoke to see if the new concept has been a success.

The programme, shown at 9pm on Channel 4, Wednesday 28 October followed the progress of Little Chef since the first trial restaurant was launched and reveals our plans for the remaining 175 restaurants.

Since Little Chef at Popham was revamped last year, the restaurant has seen 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 new restaurants, York (A64) and Kettering West (A14) open as the Heston style new concept. In the final programme ‘Did Heston change Little Chef?’ Heston saw for himself just how we are moving his concept forward.

Q&A - Behind the scenes with Ian

What do you think about the finished programme?
I really enjoyed watching it as did the entire team. Of course it has its ‘uncomfortable’ moments, but the programme makers have to make it watchable.

Was this really just a publicity stunt for Little Chef?
Absolutely not! And we have clearly illustrated just how serious we are about the whole project. So far we have invested well over £1million in the three trial restaurants and we are planning to invest an additional £2million in the next 12 months in rolling the Heston concept to a further five locations. There is no doubt that being involved with Heston and the programme has created tremendous interest and as a result the three new concepts are performing extremely well.

What do you and your team think of the finished concept?
It has been a huge hit with everyone at Little Chef. Heston has succeeded in creating a concept that brings Little Chef up to date yet still retains the true essence of the original Little Chef brand. I am so proud of everybody who worked on this project, particularly the teams who run the restaurants day to day. They have worked tremendously hard to bring Heston’s concept to life.

If Heston’s concept is so successful, why haven’t you taken it everywhere?
Wouldn’t it be great if business was that simple? The investment for just one restaurant is huge and we have to be sure that the concept is right to roll out across our entire estate. Our first three Heston concept restaurants have provided valuable insights and learning which will be taken into account as we develop the brand in the future. The management team are working tirelessly to develop the brand. We are all extremely positive about the progress we are making, but operating in the current economic climate doesn’t make it easy.

Your management team were criticised in the programme, how do you feel about that? Was it a fair portrayal?
I’m very proud of everybody in the Little Chef team, and the fact remains that it has taken a team of over 3,000 people to get the brand to where it is today and together we will ensure that Little Chef is around for another 51 years. We recognised that it simply made for better television

You have become synonymous with the statement ‘Blue Sky Thinking’. How do you feel about that?
I think it’s great, there is nothing wrong with having a vision and being completely open minded about how to achieve that vision.

What are the issues for businesses in being involved in a reality TV programme?
It’s perhaps easy for the viewer to lose sight of the fact that Little Chef is a genuine business which employs over 3,000 people and as a management team, our role is to ensure that everything we do will benefit the business and the people who work within it. It can be difficult to manage the distractions that making a TV programme can have when you are in the middle of driving changes within the business.

Knowing what you know now, would you be involved in a similar TV programme again?
If it would add value to the brand and make good business sense, then yes.

What does the future hold for Little Chef?
A very exciting one! Plans are in place to develop the next five Heston style restaurants, but perhaps more importantly, we are continuing to develop our menu for the entire Little Chef estate. Our learnings from working with Heston and his team have lead to some really exciting menu developments and we are now working with many of the suppliers which Heston introduced to Little Chef last year.

What were your first impressions of Heston and what was your relationship really like?
Heston is a genuinely nice guy. He is extremely passionate about what he does and totally driven. I can only speak personally, but I believe that our relationship is one of mutual respect.

Will Heston be involved in the brand in the future?
There are no definite plans, but I certainly hope so. Heston has been a really positive influence on the re-invigoration of the Little Chef brand and we will continue to value his input in future.

In the new programme Heston discovers that some of the ingredients on the menu at Popham had changed. Why did that happen?
At the time of filming we were having some minor food supply issues such as Heston’s triple-cooked chips and just a few of the sauces. Out of 158 new menu items on the menu we had a problem with just six. These issues have all been resolved.

Is chicken pie still on the menu in the rest of your estate?
Yes, but it’s the ‘all new’ chicken pie. A supplier which Heston introduced us to, Dunkleys, has now created three fantastic pies for Little Chef and these are now on our winter menu in every Little Chef.

What was your personal highlight of the television experience/working with Heston?
It was the opening evening of the re-vamped Popham restaurant. Restaurant critic Fay Maschler commented that it was ‘..the restaurant opening of the year.’ I knew together we had achieved great things and I was so proud for the whole team.

What do customers think about the changes Heston has made to the Olympic breakfast?
Well, it remains the most popular dish on our menu, as it is in the rest of the estate. We do have the occasional requests for the return of our sauté potatoes and the baked beans are still popular!

Did you enjoy being involved in the programme?
I’m not sure that ‘enjoy’ would be the right word to describe the experience – but I certainly enjoyed working with Heston and his team. I have been completely overwhelmed by the public’s support for Little Chef and their tremendous enthusiasm for the new concept.

Do you get recognised on the street for appearing on TV? What do people say?
Yes I do. People ask me how it’s going and tell me they loved watching the show. Of course I’ve had the odd derogatory comment, which tells me that people are genuinely interested and care about how we are developing this truly iconic British brand.

What do you think about being likened to David Brent?
My team think it’s hilarious and I hope that it was just clever editing – it certainly made for a great TV programme!

Will the two further new restaurants also make it into the Good Food Guide?
We certainly hope so and I see no reason why they shouldn’t, but it’s for our customers to decide. We hope they will nominate us for the 2011 edition.

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