The Somerford branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the A35 near Christchurch, Dorset.
Address and Onsite Facilities[]
ADDRESS: Lyndhurst Road, Somerford, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 4SB
ONSITE FACILTIES: KFC
History[]
The Little Chef opened around 1970 on the main A35 route connecting Southampton with Honiton. It was believed to have been built as a standalone restaurant; however, given its close proximity to large towns such as Christchurch and Bournemouth, it was a site well chosen by then owners, Forte. Furthermore, the A35 is a route popular with holidaymakers travelling to the south west, therefore it was bound to be a popular site.
However by 2005, the Little Chef at Somerford had ceased trading. This was due to then owners, Permira, selling off 131 sites nationwide which were deemed to be unprofitable, with Somerford being one of them. Although its location in a large town was beneficial for the restaurant, its closure was inevitable. This could have been due to a number of factors, such as the lack of neighbouring facilities to draw in extra custom; the restaurant was not accompanied by a hotel or filling station, and the establishment of retail parks in the local area, including the opening of a large Sainsbury's supermarket and garden centre just opposite, both of which included a cafe, providing competition. Furthermore, although very close to two roundabouts, the Little Chef could only be directly accessed by southbound traffic, whereas the supermarket and garden centre cafes were both accessible to all traffic. This therefore left the Little Chef competing with other restaurants and these factors were therefore likely to result in its demise.
Following its closure, the Little Chef was demolished and replaced with a newly built KFC.