SADLY MISSED - THE LITTLE CHEF

In 2017, a friend and I visited a Cambridgeshire branch of Little Chef to ask permission to stage a photo shoot in their car park. After two minutes, it became evident we could have produced a re-enactment of The Wicker Man outside their front door, and no one would have cared. In fact, the virtually deserted premises had an eerie horror film atmosphere - Dr. Terror's House of Olympic Breakfasts.

And to see such a familiar chain in its twilight days was a sad experience, as the Little Chef was once part of my childhood. They began on the 13^th October 1958 as an 11-seat US-style diner in Reading, and by 1965 there were nearly 30 across the UK. The menu included such delicacies as "Grilled Ham and Egg, Tomato and French Fried Potatoes" for 7/6d and "Baked Beans or Spaghetti on Toast" for just 1/6d. Fourteen years later, the 'Fat Charlie' logo could be seen outside almost 300 establishments.

So, why did the Little Chef once enjoy such popularity? The primary reason was they deliberately targeted car owners, with two seats per every parking space. There were also comparatively few rivals; McDonald's established UK operations in 1974, and they were mainly an urban phenomenon. The first Wimpy opened twenty years earlier, but their branches were usually found in high streets and suburbia.

There were, of course, older forms of roadside eateries, but these were only sometimes reliable. Some were excellent value for money, but it is too easy to be overly nostalgic about some old-style transport cafés. Just think of the 'Slaughtered Lamb' scenes in An American Werewolf in London, and you will have an idea of the reception given to non-regulars.

Meanwhile, the LC tended to be based on the nation's A and B-roads, promising a cheerful, red-dominated décor and a free lollipop for all good patrons. This is not to suggest they were all perfect – in 1971, Frank Page wrote in The Observer: "Motorists on the move want good service, prompt and polite. What I have experienced at the Little Chefs lately is slow service, only just civil". But the menu was safely predictable – an important issue when travelling with children - and the Jubilee Pancakes were indeed a culinary sensation of 1977. Plus, a visit to the LC enlivened even the dullest of school trips to the local electricity plant.

By the late 1970s, Little Chef commissioned a splendid advertising strip cartoon featuring the adventures of 'Dave Dymo – Super Salesman' in his Lancia Beta saloon. "At these prices, you can order what you like and have no problem with your expenses!", he exclaims. His colleague Tim muses, 'It would be a good place to bring the family', which implies he is either a caring patriarch or a complete cheapskate.

Little Chef once had 439 outlets at the height of its success, but the last branch closed its doors in 2018. Some believe it could not compete against a new generation of fast food suppliers, while others thought LC suffered from a brand image trapped in the late 1970s. No more would the greeting " Hello, welcome to Little Chef. Table for two/three/four?" be heard across the land.

And that was a great shame, for at its best Little Chef's formula was highly enjoyable. So, in celebration of the LC, here is the infamous television commercial in which Mr. Sierra XR4i is haunted by giant Fat Charlie logos somewhere in Hampshire. The tale of a hungover sales representative haunted by booming voices menacingly uttering "Early Starter?" would make an excellent Inside No. 9 - little chef advert 1980s - Google Search