The Crewe branch (initially and alternatively known as the Barthomley branch) was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the A500, just off the M6 motorway near Crewe, Cheshire.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: Barthomley Road, Barthomley, Crewe, Cheshire, CW2 5PT
ONSITE FACILITIES: Shell, Deli2Go (forecourt), Costa Express (forecourt), KFC, Greggs, Travelodge (Book Room)
History[]
The site was first built in the late 80s by Little Chef's rival chain, Kelly's Kitchen. The site was a joint venture between a Brewing Company, who operated the restaurant, and Petrofina, an oil company who operated the forecourt. This was one of 18 Kelly's Kitchens/ Petrofina sites operating across the UK. Other examples included Black Cat (A1), Seaton Burn (A1), Lincoln (A46) and Beacon Hill (A14). Kelly's Kitchen restaurants were very distinctive - they were housed inside a building with an overhanging roof, cottage styled windows and a large funnel-like chimney built into the site and the roof.
In 1989/90, Forte were on the hunt to expand the Little Chef chain and decided to buy out Kelly's Kitchen and rebrand all 18 restaurants as Little Chef. Pictures of the site soon after construction had finished show the Little Chef branding on the site, suggesting that it may never actually have become a Kelly's site, even the construction was planned by them. By 1992, Forte had added a Travelodge to the site giving them the dream combo. By 1995 Granada got their hands on Forte and added a Burger King to the site, although this later closed.
Due to its prime location off a motorway junction with a busy A-road, the Crewe site was often busy and, despite the lack of motorway signage, the site acted as part of an unofficial motorway service station for the nearby M6. The site's popularity became evident in 2012 when Little Chef's then owners Kout Food Group decided to re-open the Burger King.
In 2017, Euro Garages took over the Little Chef chain and throughout the year, the majority of the restaurants were converted into brands such as Starbucks and Subway. Crewe was one of the last Little Chef sites to remain, retaining the brand name up until Euro Garages lost the rights to the Little Chef name on 1st February 2018. After this date, the site was run as an EG Diner - an interim brand name which was essentially Little Chef in all but name. However, on the 20th May 2018, the EG Diner and Burger King at Crewe ceased trading and has since reopened as a KFC. A Greggs also opened in the space of the former Burger King outlet.