The Hellingly branch (also known as the Boship branch) was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the A22/A267 at the Boship Roundabout near Hailsham, East Sussex.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: Boship Roundabout, Hellingly, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 4DP
ONSITE FACILITIES: Shell, Select (forecourt), Deli by Shell (forecourt), Costa Express (forecourt), Starbucks, Greggs, Travelodge (Book Room)
LITTLE CHEF NOW: Starbucks, Greggs
For more information, visit Motorway Services Online
History[]
The restaurant first opened in late 1990 as a branch of Happy Eater and was built adjacent to an existing filling station and Travelodge hotel on the Boship Roundabout located to the west of Hailsham. The Happy Eater replaced their existing restaurant at Golden Cross, located approximately two miles to the northwest, which became the Hailsham branch of Little Chef in 1991.
In 1996, the Happy Eater at Hellingly became a Little Chef, resulting in two Little Chefs now located in close proximity of each other. As a result, the decision was eventually made to close the smaller Hailsham branch in 2000 so that efforts could be focused on the larger Hellingly site instead.
The restaurant signage was later branded blue by Forte in an attempt to attract more formal diners in the evening. When Granada took over they reverted the branding back to a red colour scheme, but they kept the furniture and introduced a Burger King to the site, although this later closed in the mid 2000s.
In January 2012, then owners R Capital announced the closure of 67 unprofitable Little Chefs nationwide, with Hellingly being one of the affected branches. The Little Chef closed in January 2012, with the building converted into a Starbucks in 2013. In 2018, the building was extended to house a Greggs.
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