The Andover North branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the eastbound side of the A303 near Weyhill, Hampshire
Address and Onsite Facilities[]
ADDRESS: A303 Eastbound, Weyhill, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 0PN
ONSITE FACILITIES: BP, Spar (forecourt), Subway (forecourt), Greggs (forecourt), Starbucks on the Go (forecourt), Krispy Kreme (forecourt), Starbucks Drive Thru
For more information, visit Motorway Services Online
History[]
Little Chef's presence in the area goes as far back as the 1960s, when the Weyhill branch opened on the former A303 (now A342) a few miles away from the site of what would become Weyhill Services. By the 1980s, the A303 had witnessed an increase in traffic volumes and as a result, a new dual carriageway was constructed nearby. Following the construction of the new road, a brand new dual sided service station had opened, sporting a Happy Eater restaurant and filling station on each side. Consequently, due to the opening of the bypass, resulting in reduced traffic levels on the old A303, the Little Chef at Weyhill closed by 1986.
In 1996/97, then owners Granada decided to turn the Happy Eater into a Little Chef - a process instigated by their predecessors Forte around 1993 - as Little Chef made more money. Thus in 1996/7, Andover East Happy Eater, along with its westbound sister site, became Little Chefs.
In 2004, the Little Chefs on each side were earmarked to become Burger Kings. However, this was prevented as on the 24th February 2004, the eastbound restaurant suffered from a fire which developed in a light fitting. The fire consequently resulted in the demise of the Little Chef . The adjacent filling stations closed in 2005, as a result of Texaco selling their company-owned sites and not being able to find a buyer here. The Westbound restaurant soon followed, closing in 2005. The services were left as abandoned eyesores on the side of the A303.
Having been abandoned for over a decade, Euro Garages finally submitted planning applications to demolish everything and build a new service station in 2014 and a brand new Weyhill services opened in 2018, with each side sporting a BP filling station and Starbucks Drive Thru, restoring life into the once derelict site.