The Widford branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the A12 (later A414) near Chelmsford, Essex.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: London Road, Widford, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 8TF
ONSITE FACILITIES: Wok U Like
History[]
Located on what used to be the A12 London to Great Yarmouth route, the Little Chef at Widford opened around 1974. It opened as part Forte's expansion of the Little Chef chain throughout the 60s and 70s, where various roadside buildings were acquired and turned into Little Chef restaurants in order to expand the chain quickly and efficiently. Prior to becoming a Little Chef, it looks as though the building served as a house.
In 1986, and in order to relieve Chelmsford of A12 traffic, a new bypass was constructed around the eastern perimeter of the town, replacing the old road running through the busy town centre with a high quality dual carriageway. As a result of this, the old A12 was renumbered the A414. Despite a loss in trade, the Little Chef continued to soldier on, given its close proximity to the town of Chelmsford and its revised purpose to serve traffic on the new but important A414 route, connecting Hemel Hempstead with Maldon.
However, by 1995, the Little Chef ceased trading. This was most likely due to the opening of the bypass but it could've also been due to its close proximity to the Springfield branch, located on the northern side of Chelmsford, which seemed more popular than Widford, although this later closed by 2001. The restaurant has since become a Chinese takeaway known as Wok U Like.