Once the king of roadside eateries, Little Chef spread across the UK in the 1970s - with several locations in and around Glasgow.
These days, if you’re craving a greasy breakfast or a plate of pancakes you’d have to head elsewhere with all Little Chef spots having shut up shop in 2018. The iconic red and white logo no longer stands beside our roads, but thankfully our memories remain strong.
Combining American style dining with British cuisine, the very first Little Chef opened way back in 1958 in Reading. The following decade, they began popping up across the country - though it wasn’t until the ‘70s that they really took off.
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One of the most popular in the area was in Cumbernauld, located on one of Scotland’s busiest roads. Opening in 1984, it proved massively popular with motorists coming in and out of Glasgow.
With proper signage on both sides of the road, drivers knew well in advance that the Little Chef was there and many took full advantage. Sadly, it was closed in 2007 and eventually became Milano’s Express in 2018.
Over in Port Glasgow, Little Chef opened in 1975 as the local industries were thriving. Ten years later, the eatery had closed down while the industries in the area were falling on hard times.
The Dumbarton branch had a slightly longer life, first opening in the area in 1982. It replaced a former branch at Clydebank, which had fallen victim to changes in the road network.
In 1988, the branch added a Little Chef Lodge to the site - which eventually became a Travelodge when the brand changed. One of the last to close, it disappeared from the roadside and became a Starbucks.
Across the country, over 400 outlets once graced our roads and served us everything from a morning coffee to a midnight snack.
Back in the ‘90s, the go to was an Olympic Breakfast - a promo created during the 1994 Winter Olympics. After completing that meal, it’s unlikely you’d have success in any sporting event.
Later in the day, you could enjoy everything from fish and chips to steak and kidney pie - great British cuisine. It was during this period that Little Chef saw a peak in popularity, with the chain becoming a staple of 90s Britain.
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Though the turn of the millennium saw a swift decline in visitors, due to over investment in new locations. By 2005, almost half of the eateries had closed down.
At one point during their downfall, celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal was brought in to breathe new life into the restaurant. Revamping the menu, Blumenthal ushered in a new era for the chain with modern decor and fancy (as fancy as Little Chef can be) breakfast options.
Sadly it was too late - Little Chef’s fate was sealed, and the UK has never been the same since.
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