The Fontwell branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located at the junction of the A27 and A29 roads near Fontwell, Arundel, West Sussex.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: A27/A29 Roundabout, Fontwell, Arundel, West Sussex, BN18 0SB
ONSITE FACILITIES: Shell, Deli2Go (forecourt), Costa Express (forecourt), Travelodge (Book Room)
History[]
The Little Chef first opened in 1988/89 and replaced the original Fontwell branch, located to the east of Fontwell prior to its bypassing (now trades as S&G Motors). Compared with the small original site the new Fontwell site was a purpose built trunk road service area sporting the ideal Forte triple whammy of Little Chef, Forte Travelodge and filling station. Plus, being off a roundabout, it was easily accessible and easily spotable. Pretty much the ideal Little Chef site in other words.
The building design is very distinctive with the two-tone brick and the multiple roof sections. This was around the time Little Chef were experimenting with different styles and restaurant designs, making Fontwell a bit different from the usual double-fronted red brick building of the era.
In terms of additional facilities, Forte added a Little Chef coffee stop to the site in the early 90s and, once Granada got their hands on Little Chef, they wasted no time in adding a Burger King to the offering in the mid 90s.
In 2011, Fontwell was one of the 10 sites to receive the "Wonderfully British" refurbishment. Wonderfully British was the follow-on, slightly tweaked version of the "Hestonised" site with slightly different interior finishes, new branding (Charlie lost his tray and instead had his arms open to welcome visitors) and Little Chef's new "grab and go" take-away option known as Good to Go. Unlike some other sites, Fontwell kept its Burger King as well which still trades alongside the main restaurant today.
Following the takeover by Euro Garages in 2017, Fontwell was one of a number sites converted to an EG Diner in January 2018. This is due to the expiration of Euro Garages' right to use the Little Chef brand name. In early 2018, plans were submitted for a KFC drive thru to open at Fontwell and the application was successful, thus the EG Diner and Burger King both closed in August 2018. The KFC opened on the 10th October 2018 along with the re-opening of a Burger King.
Gallery[]
