Little Chef

Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 by entrepreneur Sam Alper, and modelled on American diners. It specialises in the "Olympic Breakfast", its version of a full english, and "Jubilee Pancakes". The restaurants are mostly located on sites on A roads and motorways, often paired with a Travelodge motel and a petrol station.

Little Chef has been owned by six different companies since its mid-1980s heyday. It was owned by Trusthouse Forte from the 1970s, who were taken over by Granada, who were then taken over by Compass, who sold the chain to the private equity firm Permira, who divested the chain to The People's Restaurant Group, who in turn sold the chain to the business turnaround specialists RCapital.

The chain expanded rapidly throughout the 1970s and 1980s, largely organically, although in 1986 it acquired Happy Eater, its only major roadside competitor. It peaked in numbers in 1999 - 2000 with 439 restaurants, but restructuring has seen this reduced to 78. The Little Chef brand has been in decline for many years, largely due to a lack of investment, a tired menu, and increased competition on motorways.