The Barton Mills South branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the A11/A1065/A1101 at the Fiveways Roundabout near Mildenhall, Suffolk.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: A11 Fiveways Roundabout, Barton Mills, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 6AE
ONSITE FACILITIES: Esso, Londis (forecourt), Subway (forecourt), Stone Willy's Kitchen (forecourt), Costa Express (forecourt), f'real Milkshakes (forecourt), Pret A Manger (forecourt), Burger King, Greggs, Travelodge (Book Room)
LITTLE CHEF NOW: Burger King, Greggs
For more information, visit Motorway Services Online
History[]
The Little Chef at Barton Mills South first opened in 1987, following the recent dualling of the A11 between Newmarket and Mildenhall to the south. The restaurant opened alongside a filling station and a Travelodge hotel.
When it opened, the Little Chef competed with an AJ's Family Restaurant located on the northbound side of the A11 just to the west of the Fiveways Roundabout; however, the AJ's became the Barton Mills North branch of Little Chef in 1997 and the two restaurants operated as a dual-sided site.
In the 1990s, a Forte Coffee Stop was added to the site, although this later closed and was replaced with a Burger King following Granada's acquisition of Little Chef. The Burger King closed by 2008, but later reopened in circa. 2013.
In 2001, Compass created the concept 'Little Chef Choices'. The format was used to take advantage of the number of catering names they owned (namely Harry Ramsdens, Caffe Ritazza, Upper Crust and Wiseguys Pizza), and thus increase the variety of options available to customers at selected Little Chef sites. Each Choices site was accompanied by a thorough refurbishment with lowered lights, tablecloths, and oak and steel fittings used to create a High Street ambience which would attract more evening diners. The Little Chef at Barton Mills South was one of approximately 30 sites selected to become a Choices branch in 2002; however in 2004, the Choices concept was dropped and the menus from the other brands were removed.
In 2006, a Coffee Tempo! takeaway unit opened alongside the Little Chef and Burger King; however, this was removed by 2008.
In 2007, Prince Harry visited the Little Chef for an Olympic Breakfast whilst training at the Stanta Battleground near Thetford.
Following the takeover of the Little Chef brand by Euro Garages in 2017, the Little Chef at Barton Mills South ceased trading in January 2018, making it one of the last sites to have closed across the entire estate. The restaurant then became an EG Diner, which traded until Summer 2018. In late 2018, the building was refurbished to become a Burger King and Greggs.
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