Big Chef Little Chef
Having watched Heston Blumenthal try to turn around the fortunes of roadside eatery Little Chef, Paul and I decided that we'd pop into the Popham restaurant on our way home from London on the first day of February. Some may know that I have a fondness for the more unhealthier types of food but even so, places like Burger King and MacDonald's tend to fill a basic need and are not something I tend to go out of my way for. Give be a grease spoon cafe or Wimpy's and even a Little Chef any day.
There aren't too many of these on the motorway from London to Torbay and we generally stay off the A303. This time however we thought we'd try out the new and improved Little Chef at Popham just to see if Heston Blumenthal was successful in his endeavour to save the restaurant chain. Well apart from the packed car park, the interior of the restaurant was smart and clean and even the ceiling tiles with the "Blue Sky" looked good (The MD kept on going on about Blue Sky thinking). However due to the programme Big Chef Little Chef, the restaurant was extremely busy and we were told that it would probably take an hour for the food to arrive. Well we were there, so in for a penny and all that. The service was slow to be honest and even when eventually seated it took a good 15 minutes such to give our food order. It wasn't the fault of the staff at the Little Chef, they were and probably still are, overwhelmed by its celebrity status.
The food was okay, though after having discussed it with a few other diners, it was felt that Ian Peddler (Little Chef MD) probably did think about profit margin over quality. The sausages looking anaemic, the beans not being Heinz Beanz (though stated on the menu as so). Unfortunately the celebrity status of this one Little Chef has made it an impossible task to live up too. While the food was okay (much better than our previous visits to a Little Chef) and the diner was clean and inviting there were simply too many people wanting to try Heston's menu. The staff just couldn't cope with the volume and from start to finish, we were there for an hour and 30 minutes. Heston was right to push for a number of Little Chef's to be converted into this new menu, new look restaurant. It would have taken the pressure off the Popham restaurant and given customers more time to enjoy the experience for what it is, a good roadside diner.
On a slight side note, we had to make a pit stop at another Little Chef and the difference was huge. The second restaurant looked tired, dull and dilapidated and don't I won't mention the state of the "facilities".
Ian Peddler, Little Chef MD, sort it out before another well loved British brand is lost to the credit crunch.
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