Little Chef to close 67 Restaurants

[BensGrandad]

So all these places that are better, cheaper and healthier that you all eat at, are next to major roads easy to find and when you arrive to eat between 6 and 10 every day you know exactly what you are going to get.
Having lost all the greasy spoons in my 48 years of driving around the country, Little Chefs are all that is left if you want to get out of the motor and sit down to eat.
We will have to make do with the wonderful Motorway service stations or take our own sarnies ffs.

A little organisation and pre planning is required whenever I am making a journey, usually tyo an away game nowadays, I sort out my route and look t the internet for such places as Crown Carveries etc that are near to my route, usually just off of a motorway and head for there to have my break then resume my journey. Ther sasme happens with the return journey and dinner in the evening. These large companies all display their menus and offer a similar service in all of their branches so no problem.

 

[Steve Foster]

Last time I was in a Litle Chef I ordered a mushroom omelette & asked if they could replace it with a cheese one. The waitress said fine. When the meal was served I was given a mushroom omelette. I sent it back & 10 minutes later was presented with another mushroom omelette. When I complained the manager told me I couldn't have one as the mix was already pre made! Must be highly frustrating if you are a chef in their place when you are not allowed to cook!

 

[Northstandite]

Last time I was in a Litle Chef I ordered a mushroom omelette & asked if they could replace it with a cheese one. The waitress said fine. When the meal was served I was given a mushroom omelette. I sent it back & 10 minutes later was presented with another mushroom omelette. When I complained the manager told me I couldn't have one as the mix was already pre made! Must be highly frustrating if you are a chef in their place when you are not allowed to cook!

Those microwave-technicians are now losing their jobs.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Last time I was in a Litle Chef I ordered a mushroom omelette & asked if they could replace it with a cheese one. The waitress said fine. When the meal was served I was given a mushroom omelette. I sent it back & 10 minutes later was presented with another mushroom omelette. When I complained the manager told me I couldn't have one as the mix was already pre made! Must be highly frustrating if you are a chef in their place when you are not allowed to cook!

The moral of this story is that you should have ordered a cheese omelette and asked if they could have replaced it with a mushroom one.

 

[BensGrandad]

Last time I was in a Litle Chef I ordered a mushroom omelette & asked if they could replace it with a cheese one. The waitress said fine. When the meal was served I was given a mushroom omelette. I sent it back & 10 minutes later was presented with another mushroom omelette. When I complained the manager told me I couldn't have one as the mix was already pre made! Must be highly frustrating if you are a chef in their place when you are not allowed to cook!

This happened to me in a Tesco Cafe when they said they had run out. I suggested that they were a superstore and had hundreds of dozen egss but was told they are not allowed to make an omelette it must be pre made frozen one that is microwaved.

 

[marshy68]

Add a couple of quid for a cup of tea and you're close to £10: you'll get a great deal at most greasy spoons for half that

The Market Diner, Brighton The Breakfast Menu

cant think why they went bust

 

[clapham_gull]

They do not offer value for money as there are many other companies offering better like Crown Carveries, Harvester Wetherspoons etc so it is hardly suprising. Just as an example Crown Carveries (Sportsman) offer 1 sausage 2 Bacon and unlimited Eggs, Mushrooms, Baked Beans Tomatoes Hash Browns for £2.99

Which I would avoid like the plague like a supermarket chicken under a fiver.

I'd rather eat porridge and do.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

I've never been a fan. We used to use them occasionally when going with a birdwatching group to Norfolk or Suffolk, and I wished I could go to the nearest greasy spoon. I think part of the problem is that there is less of a market now for full meals when going on distance journeys. You can see that in motorway service areas, where at one time you would have just the self-service restaurant and a shop. Now they all (apart from one in Cumbria that trades on having a farm shop) have burger and coffee bars and the restaurants are far smaller. Little Chefs couldn't really adapt in that way (though some have Burger Kings) and coupled with poor service (usually only one person serving and one cooking) and food that is nothing to write home about, their demise is hardly surprising. One thing I did notice after Christmas when heading up to Norfolk for a few days was just how few roadside facilities there are on some of our A roads. Our normal route is M25, M11, with a stop at Birchanger Services by Stansted Airport then various roads up to the coast. The M11 was solid because the A12 was closed, so I was forced to use the A10. There are hardly any facilities between the M25 and Cambridge and nothing was open in the towns. Not a particularly comfortable journey.

I wonder if Hickstead will be one of those closing. If so, a little piece of Albion history will be gone, as wasn't that where many of our transfers have been done? Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, A2300, A23 was one of my ways to Withdean. The petrol station was usually busy, but the Little Chef always seemed totally empty. Edit: I see kevtherev and Tedebear have made the same points. Points still valid though. skipper734 is right; there are very few decent places by the roadside these days.