Since its beginning in 1958, the Little Chef franchise has grown to dominate the niche of 'roadside restaurant chain' throughout the UK. Little Chefs can be found both at motorway service stations and next to main A-roads, and are recognised by a red sign depicting a dwarf albino chef wearing a typical chef's outfit and proffering a covered meal. The Little Chef differs from other restaurants in two ways, these being the level of service offered and the free lollipop provided.

History

The first Little Chef was opened in Reading in 1958 by Sam Alper, a caravan manufacturer. The idea was to imitate roadside diners seen in the USA, with restaurants opening early in the morning and closing late at night. The company was taken over by a subsidiary of Trust Houses in the 1960s, which eventually became part of the Trust House Forte (THF) group, also responsible for the running of Travelodge hotels. THF was taken over by motorway service station company Granada in 1995, and Little Chefs appeared in Granada service stations. In 1997, the restaurants of Little Chef's rival Happy Eater were converted to become Burger Kings and Little Chefs, meaning that nowadays there is little competition in the market.

Next, Little Chef and Travelodge became part of the Compass group, with Little Chefs also appearing in Moto service stations, and then in 2002 they were bought by Permira Investment Fund Managers. Permira attempted to improve the Little Chef brand by closing around a third of the 364 restaurants in the UK. In 2005, Permira sold the business to The People's Restaurant Group, who began introducing 'quick-stop' Coffee Tempo sections at some branches, and had plans to make the restaurants self-service. However, Little Chef entered administration in early 2007 due to an annual loss of £3 million, with PricewaterhouseCoopers being called in to try and balance the books. This led to the sale of a large number of the chain's restaurants to RCapital, meaning that it is likely that the majority of the UK's Little Chefs will remain open for the time being.

Burger King

Recently, a number of Little Chefs have gained Burger King sections which are almost fully separated from the restaurant but are still part of the same building. These outlets are owned by Little Chef, but make use of the Burger King franchise.

The Restaurants

All Little Chefs have the same internal design and decoration, sometimes with the tables separated by chest-height wooden partitions. The kitchen sits behind a bar-like barrier, with staff disappearing behind it to fetch meals. The toilets are nearly always far away from the entrance and are usually quite clean. The entrance itself consists of two glass doors and a little stand that reads 'Please wait here to be seated'. Little Chefs usually also have a little shop which sells sweets and road maps. Some restaurants have smoking sections, with the non-smoking sections being downwind of the smokers¹.

The Service

Little Chefs are known for their staffing problems, so don't always expect high levels of service as staff numbers can be insufficient to meet demand on busy days. After all, the average Little Chef waitress may also be the chef, manager and cleaner of the place, not to mention gift shop assistant and cashier. It is useful to count the number of staff and diners in the restaurant or ask a current diner how long it's taking to be served before being seated - consider alternative dining plans if it seems too busy. The staff shortage can lead to the following 'typical' problems:

• You order tea and toast. By the time the second arrives, the first is starting to go cold.
• You order four meals. One takes longer to cook than the others, and so is delivered five or ten minutes after the others.
• The custard is hot, but the pudding is cold.
• The pudding is hot, but the custard is cold.
• You ask for the bill, then start reading JRR Tolkien's Silmarillion. You finish reading to discover that you are still at the restaurant and that the bill is still nowhere to be seen.

The solution to the more troublesome of these problems is, of course, to complain. It is important to remain calm and be nice to the waitress; otherwise they may take the criticism personally. State clearly whether you want something heated up, replaced, refunded, or just for it to turn up in the first place. However, it is frowned upon to complain about little things, so don't turn up with the intent to criticise everything.

The Food

Despite the service, the food at Little Chefs is actually quite good, although it is often overpriced and basic. Little Chef's speciality is the fry-up breakfast, which is based upon a British tradition and is difficult to get wrong. The restaurants offer a free top-up of teas, coffees and soft drinks, provided you ask nicely. The menu also includes burgers, sub sandwiches, steaks, pancakes, ice creams and other common main meals and desserts. Around 15 million rashers of Little Chef bacon are eaten every year, indicating that the franchise, or at least its breakfast menu, is here to stay. Former Prime Minister John Major was famous for advocating Little Chef's food².

Children

Little Chefs offer a children's menu, as well as high chairs and baby food. Colouring pencils and puzzles are also available in some locations. As most of Britain's Happy Eaters were turned into Little Chefs in 1997, some Little Chefs have the trademark Happy Eater outdoor playground, which consists of a plastic tree with a slide and swings, as well as indoor Lego-topped tables for building on.

The Lollipop

In order to qualify for a lollipop at a Little Chef, you must first order a main meal and clear your plate. As the meal is being paid for, you should smile and ask nicely for a lollipop. You will then receive a hard, lump of red or orange stuff which will almost certainly become permanently stuck to your teeth. One small point - the lollipops are for children only. However, it seems permissible to have a parent finish off your meal for you while nobody is looking, and some children seem to get a lollipop no matter what they do.