Driving across Britain over the holidays meant more than one visit to the fast-food chains that populate our roadside services. The major brands, McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC, will be familiar to all and are the most popular choices. Yet I was pleased to pass them by for Wimpy, a UK burger brand that I’ve not seen in ages and is probably assumed by many to no longer exist. Drawn in by fond memories of the brand, I found it had undergone significant change. The food and environment had been brought thoroughly up-to-date, healthy(ish) options such as bean and Quorn burgers were available, and the overall feel was much the same as at any other rival. A little disappointed by the refresh, I ate my food and went on my way. Yet this week’s news about the demise of another British roadside restaurant, Little Chef, showed why my feelings of nostalgia are really of no consequence.
Unknown in the US, Wimpy originated as a British take on American burger restaurants (in its early years the burgers were served on plates and eaten with a knife and fork). Its 1954 debut pre-dated McDonald’s arrival in the UK by twenty years. Close to dying out at times, a management buyout in 2002 appears to be returning the business to health. Indeed, with my eyes opened to the brand once more I’ve now noticed several in and around London. Its apparent resurgence means that comparison with Little Chef, which has now entered administration, is hard to avoid. Like Wimpy, Little Chef was a British version of an American food phenomenon – in this case the ubiquitous diner. The company also began trading in the 50s, yet has hardly changed since. It’s not really surprising that tastes have moved on in fifty years and the unavoidable difference is that Wimpy has adapted while Little Chef has not.
The fact is that I stop for a sit-down roadside meal once every Preston Guild (i.e. hardly ever), so I’m a poor customer to chase. And on the rare occasions I do stop I’m only likely to visit either Wimpy or Little Chef due to some warm and wistful memories of a bygone age of naff dining. Little Chef has attempted to cash in on this, with a few branches deliberately adopting 50s style and design. The irony is that the entire chain has hardly altered since that era; its nostalgia requires no fakery. The problem is that this holds no appeal for the core target market for this industry - children.
The top consumers in this market are families, and as we all know it’s the kids that dictate where to eat when pulling over for a break from the journey. What Little Chef has forgotten is that children are too young to have nostalgia. Wimpy’s emulation of its competitors - a bit dull to me but undeniably bright and contemporary - is what appeals to kids today. Adapting to its customers has kept Wimpy cooking while the sad Little Chef has been forced to hang up his hat.
Update...
The day after this post was written, it was reported that a venture capital group, RCapital, has bought Little Chef for a knock-down price of £10m ($19m). The chain lives to see another day, but SwelledHead hopes its new owners will see that the brand will need some significant reinvention if it is to become relevant in today's market.
