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The Abercynon branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the northbound side of the A470 near Abercynon, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Address and Onsite Facilities[]

ADDRESS: A470 Northbound, Abercynon, Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, CF45 4RR

ONSITE FACILITIES: Texaco, Londis (forecourt), Costa Express (forecourt)

For more information, visit Motorway Services Online

History[]

The Little Chef opened its doors in 1986/87 and represented Forte's desire to grow the brand in Wales, particularly improving their representation on the Cardiff to Llandudno corridor. Abercynon was the second out of three Little Chefs to open on the A470, with Builth Wells already operating in full swing about 45 miles north and Dolgellau opening later in 1989/90. With the A470 being a major 186 mile route weaving its way through and past some of Wales' largest towns, you would expect there to have been more than three Little Chefs on this major artery. However, the three restaurants which did open were nicely distributed and spread out along the road and each site could cater for a particular section of the route. Abercynon was in charge of catering for the southern section of the route, whereas Builth Wells and Dolgellau were responsible for serving the middle and the north of the corridor respectively.

Although the Little Chef at Abercynon was fairly small, it was built at a site which was well chosen by Forte. Not only did it have the ability to serve traffic on the A470 but its location right next to the town of Abercynon meant that it could serve the local community too. In addition to this, the restaurant was built alongside a filling station which also increased the site's potential of attracting extra custom. It was a well chosen site really.

However, by 2004, then owners, Permira, were keen to sell Little Chef and, to make it more saleable, decided to slim down Little Chef's portfolio, putting 131 sites up for sale including Abercynon. It closed in 2004/05.

Since the closure of the Little Chef, the building has played host to a couple of independents. The most recent occupant, Juboraj, closed in 2019.

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