The £25m sale of Little Chef could be scrapped unless Italy's Benetton family agree to retain the brand name and its distinctive "Fat Charlie" logo.
Turnaround specialist R Capital is threatening to pull the deal over fears that the Benettons will convert the 195 restaurants into branches of Autogrill.
Talks are continuing but R Capital, which took Little Chef out of administration in January, is seeking other potential buyers.
The Sunday Telegraph 08/07/07 (Business) page 2
The Mail on Sunday (Financial Mail) 08/07/07 page 26
The Observer 08/07/07 (Business) page 2