The Sleaford branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the A17 near Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: Holdingham Roundabout, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 8NP
ONSITE FACILITIES: Esso, Spar (forecourt), Subway (forecourt), Costa Express (forecourt), KFC, Burger King, Travelodge (Book Room)
History[]
The Little Chef at Sleaford first opened in 1990/91 and replaced the original Sleaford branch, located a couple of miles away which opened originally between 1968 and 1972. The original Sleaford branch was located on a section of the A17 which was single laned, meaning that all traffic could easily access the restaurant. However, the road was highly busy as it was full of long distance traffic travelling around the UK and holidaymakers travelling to the eastern seaside county of Norfolk. Something clearly had to be done in order to handle the large amount of traffic. As a result, a new bypass running alongside Sleaford was built and although this was better for traffic, it wasn't good news for the Little Chef as it had to be demolished during the roadworks (between 1977 and 1980). Forte reacted to this by finding a site which could replace the demolished Little Chef and they chose a site at the Holdingham roundabout which was built as part of the bypass. However, the plans to build a new Little Chef in Sleaford were not in mind when the original Sleaford branch was demolished as it was properly planned and considered a whopping fifteen years later after the demolition. The new site meant that the Little Chef could continue to serve traffic on the A17 but at a better site.
In many ways, the new Sleaford Little Chef was much better than the old one. For starters, its position next to a roundabout meant that the restaurant could continue to serve all traffic on the A17 which shows that Forte knew a thing or two about their locations. Also, the Little Chef was positioned alongside a filling station and a Travelodge hotel, meaning as well as giving the site the perfect combination of facilities, these extra facilities helped the Little Chef to attract extra custom to the site. To make the site even better, another restaurant option, Burger King, had joined the Little Chef in the Granada era, giving travellers another restaurant to choose to dine at. It was clearly the perfect site.
In 2002, the Little Chef recieved the "New Choices" Makeover, giving it some smart new furniture and access to exciting menus from Harry Ramsdens, Upper Crust, Wiseguys Pizza and Caffe Ritazza. Nowadays it trades again as a standard Little Chef, but quite a smart one.
Following the takeover by Euro Garages in 2017, Sleaford was one of a number sites converted to an EG Diner in January 2018. This was due to the expiration of Euro Garages' right to use the Little Chef brand name. However, soon after the closure of the Little Chef, plans for a KFC drive thru were submitted and approved and by May 2018, the EG Diner ceased trading. The KFC restaurant has since opened alongside the existing Burger King.
