The Rainton South branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the southbound side of the A1 near Rainton, North Yorkshire.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: A1 Southbound, Rainton, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3FA
ONSITE FACILITIES: None (service station lost to upgrade of A1)
For more information, visit Motorway Services Online
History[]
The history of the site dates back to at least 1978, when a dual-sided service station, comprising a filling station and cafe on each side, was developed by service station operator Station Supreme. Although the northbound side previously played host to a hotel for lorry drivers operated by Blue Star, it is unknown as to whether the southbound side had any previous use.
By 1983, the Station Supreme cafes on both sides, along with the southbound filling station, had closed and the cafe buildings were replaced with Happy Eaters, though the southbound restaurant was rebuilt in a newer, larger brick building.
In 1986, Forte had acquired the Happy Eater brand and, by 1997, had converted a large majority of Happy Eater restaurants into Little Chefs. The restaurants at Rainton were amongst the first to have been converted into Little Chefs, opening as the latter in 1995.
Shortly after its opening, the Little Chef at Rainton South gained a Coffee Stop, although this later became Cafe Nescafe. This was removed from the site completely by 2004.
In 2004, Little Chef's owners of the time, Permira, decided to close Rainton South in order to focus on the longer established Little Chef branch at Sinderby, located less than five miles north on the southbound side. This decision was then overturned in 2005 when new owners People's Restaurant Group took control of Little Chef and reopened Rainton South, opting instead to close Sinderby.
In the late 2000s, plans were announced to upgrade the A1 between Dishforth and Leeming Bar to a motorway. Consequently, this would result in the demise of Rainton Services. In early 2009, the southbound branch was compulsorily purchased and was demolished shortly prior to the first phase of the roadworks. The northbound Little Chef closed in December 2009, along with its accompanying facilities.
Although the building on the southbound side was demolished, the former restaurant's car park and associated minimilk lampposts were surprisingly retained, serving as the only remaining evidence of there ever being a Little Chef at the site. The lamppost was later removed by 2018, while the former car park is now wasteland.
In contemporary folklore, the villagers of Rainton now believe the site to be haunted. Since the removal of the lamppost in 2018, multiple ghostly sightings of Hazel (the store manager) have been made.
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