The Burton South branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the southbound side of the A38 near Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire.
Address and Onsite Facilities[]
ADDRESS: A38 Southbound, Barton-under-Needwood, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE13 8EH
ONSITE FACILITIES: Travelodge (Book Room)
History[]
Built in the early 1980s, Burton South Happy Eater was a new build site located just to the south of Burton on Trent. It formed one half of a staggered dual sided Happy Eater site, with the Burton North branch located a couple of miles south at Alrewas opening around the same time. Sandwiched between the two was also a Little Chef, which opened on the northbound side about half a mile south of Burton South Happy Eater, providing some competition. However, when Forte, the owners of Little Chef, acquired Happy Eater in 1986, the competition between the two restaurant chains was less significant, as the two were now owned by the same company. Around the same time, a Forte Travelodge was constructed alongside the Happy Eater at Burton South.
By 1997, both Happy Eaters at Burton North and South closed, with the latter becoming a Little Chef. This was part of a procedure where Forte would convert a majority of the existing Happy Eater into Little Chefs, based on the fact that Little Chef was seen as the more lucrative brand. This created a dual sided Little Chef site. The northbound Happy Eater meanwhile was not converted into a Little Chef, probably due to its close proximity to the existing Little Chef just north.
However, in January 2012, Burton South, and its northbound partner, closed as it was one of 67 branches deemed unprofitable by then owners, RCapital. The restaurant later became a showroom, although this later closed. Today the restaurant stands empty, leaving the Travelodge to trade on alone, as a very quiet hotel.