John Moore is on a mission. The head of operations for Little Chef wants to reignite the public’s nostalgic love for the brand that, in its 1980s and 1990s heyday, once boasted more than 450 sites.
Yesterday, MCA revealed that the roadside restaurant chain is preparing to open its first diner since being taken over by Kout Food Group in 2013.
The Grade II listed Markham Moor, located on the southbound carriageway of the A1, will open its doors on 14 November, bringing the total number of restaurants within Little Chef’s portfolio to 71.
According to Moore, the brand has been in decline for ‘many years’ but its KFG’s intention to ‘turn the business around’.
So exactly how does he propose to resurrect the once popular diner that was born back in reading in 1958, the same year Britain opened its first motorway?
The secret lies, in part, with a modern brand refresh that maintains the ‘heritage of Little Chef’ - namely the instantly recognisable face of mascot Charlie - and a new product offer catering for time-pressed visitors.
“Little Chef is obviously a dine-in restaurant but we’ve been looking at food-to-go for people who stop for takeaway food,” Moore tells MCA. “We have a new sandwich range, different types of bread, a new toasted range, scones filled with cream cheese and salmon and various salads to take away.”
Little Chef largely populates ‘heavy footfall A roads in the south’, particularly the A303 that runs to Devon and Cornwall, as well locations close to the A1 London to Edinburgh trunk road.
Competition may have sprung up in the form of ‘drive thru Costas and Starbucks as well as McDonald’s’, but Moore insists a number of Little Chef sites are particularly suited to ‘key anchor brands’ such as Burger King and Subway.
In fact, KFG took on its first Subway franchise in early 2014 and subsequently opened six outlets alongside Little Chef restaurants.
At the end of May, Little Chef’s Warminster diner, situated on the A36, opened as a ‘tri site’ with space for both Subway and Burger King.
And it became the first in the estate to showcase a redesigned interior that will form the template for Little Chef going forward.
According to Moore, no stone was left unturned in contemporising the restaurant with everything from the crockery to furniture scrutinised.
Additionally, Warminster is one of five sites currently trialling a redesigned menu featuring healthy lighter bites including an Ancient Grain Salad, alongside signature favourites like the Olympic Breakfast.
The thinking is that this will appeal to a wider market, including a younger demographic, alongside keeping ‘all the things people know and love about Little Chef’.
For now, the brand will focus on the development of the Markham Moor South site, which will sport a stainless steel grab and go section, tiled and wooden floors and canopied areas when it opens.
“What we want to do is open the brand new concept, look at our current estate along with the menu trials and current refurbishment we did at Warminster and keep a close eye on that activity,” the operations director says.
However, he does not rule out further expansion.
“There are still many derelict buildings around the UK on the A roads. We are keeping our eyes open to potentials, that’s how we came up with Markham Moor South.”
