The Sleaford (MK2) branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the A15/A17 at the Holdingham Roundabout near Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: Holdingham Roundabout, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 8NP
ONSITE FACILITIES: BP, Shop'N Drive (forecourt), Subway (forecourt), Costa Express (forecourt), West Cornwall Pasty Co. (forecourt), KFC, Burger King, Travelodge (Book Room)
LITTLE CHEF NOW: KFC, Burger King
For more information, visit Motorway Services Online
History[]
The Little Chef opened in 1991, at the Holdingham Roundabout located at the western end of the A17 Sleaford Bypass, which ran to the north of the town. The restaurant was built alongside a filling station and Travelodge hotel and was housed in a building with a pitched roof, double front design.
To some degree, the restaurant at the Holdingham Roundabout served as a replacement for the original Sleaford Little Chef located on the A15 (now B1518) near to the town centre, which closed in 1977 most likely as a result of the new Sleaford Bypass diverting long distance traffic away from the site. It was likely that Forte wanted to retain Little Chef's presence in the area and, although taking nearly fifteen years, opted to open a new branch on the bypass.
In the 1990s, a Forte Coffee Stop was added to the site, although this later closed and was replaced with a Burger King following Granada's acquisition of Little Chef.
In 2001, Compass created the concept 'Little Chef Choices'. The format was used to take advantage of the number of catering names they owned (namely Harry Ramsdens, Caffe Ritazza, Upper Crust and Wiseguys Pizza), and thus increase the variety of options available to customers at selected Little Chef sites. Each Choices site was accompanied by a thorough refurbishment with lowered lights, tablecloths, and oak and steel fittings used to create a High Street ambience which would attract more evening diners. The Little Chef at Sleaford was one of approximately 30 sites selected to become a Choices branch in 2002; however in 2004, the Choices concept was dropped and the menus from the other brands were removed.
Following the takeover of the Little Chef brand by Euro Garages in 2017, the Little Chef at Sleaford ceased trading in January 2018, making it one of the last sites to have closed across the entire estate. The restaurant then became an EG Diner, which traded until May 2018. In June 2018, the building was refurbished to become a Burger King and KFC combination site.
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