Since Monday (19 Jan 2009), Channel 4 has been showing Big Chef takes on the Little Chef as part of the Great British Food Fight series. It is about Heston Blumenthal (pictured) — a triple Michelin star chef and owner of the renowned restaurant The Fat Duck — taking on the challenge to change the image of a legendary roadside food chain in Britain that is Little Chef. It was a 3-part program and the final one just aired a couple of hours ago.
In the first episode, I can’t help feeling sorry for Heston as he has put his reputation on the line for undertaking such a project. Little Chef CEO, Ian Pegler, wanted radical changes with “blue-sky thinking” for the menu but the loyal customers simply wanted the food to remain the same. Talk about knowing what your customer wants! By the way, a Little Chef management/executive meeting seems like an ideal place to play B*llsh*t Bingo.
Anyway, in the succeeding episodes, it was very clear that Heston is truly passionate about reviving an iconic symbol of food in Britain. It was also evident that him and the CEO are not completely in the same boat when it comes down to the future of the restaurant chain. I got annoyed watching the part where Heston found out that there was going to be a new menu to be rolled out across the entire chain when he was working his ass night and day to come up with a new one for his project. However, the famous chef was determined and along with the support of the staff from the pilot Little Chef, it was amazing to see the new image, brand and attitude. This same staff was also skeptic at the beginning thinking that Heston would convert their beloved pitstop to some poncy place to eat. This, along with the twisted condescending words from their manager who had worked there for 25 years! In the end, however, it worked. Perhaps it was more of I-don’t-want-to-make-a-fool-of-myself rather than their dedication to their jobs that made the opening night of the all-new and refurbished Little Chef in Popham a success.
Episode 3 was a bit open-ended as it indicated that Heston will be re-visiting this pilot restaurant after 3 months to see whether the new model had been a success or not. There are no indications as to whether Channel 4 will air this re-visit.
With the aesthetics alone, I do hope that this will be rolled out for all the branches. Of course, I haven’t made my way yet to Popham to sample the new menu so I really can’t tell how the food is. But with a singing toilet with the aroma of coffee, it would certainly give a reason for people to go to their nearest Little Chef. Just like in the old days, so it seems.
(Note: This post marks the end of my separate food blog, Charlies Cookshop. From this point on, all my foodie habits, stories and experiments will be featured here at April Journeys. The original food blog will be kept online for another 30 days and will be shut down afterwards.)
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