We are traveling down the M5 in a few weeks and I have been looking for a place to stop. I am not keen on motorway services's as the prices are high and food is rubbish. I have been looking on Little Chef's web site and there is one just off the M5 J5 on the A38.
I have had a look on Google Earth to see if the car park is big enough for a caravan but I am not sure which it is.Has anyone used it or been past it ?. To me it looks like it is across the road from where Little Chef and Google show it.
Personally speaking I would give Little Chef a big miss. We decided to have breakfast in one at Beckington 3 weeks ago after spending a night in the adjacent Travelodge, big, big mistake, 2 staff (the cook hadn't turned in was the excuse) I ordered scrambled egg and bacon, the egg was like rubber, my son ordered a full English - the sausage were gamey and inedible and despite requesting no mushrooms (he is allergic) there they sat on the plate. The service was slow, we didn't get the pot of tea ordered until after the food arrived, yet the cafetiere of coffee arrived pronto and was soon cold. I of course complained and was not charged for either breakfast so all we paid for was the tea and coffee. We gave it a try despite receiving bad service last year at one near Wellingborough as our belief is not once bitten twice shy, but give them a chance, we have now done that and won't use them again. They are no cheaper than motorway services either, where you often have more choice..
------------- Gaynor
I have three sides, left, right and wrong - which one are you on?
the little shef is about 50mtrs further on on the opposite side of the road to your curcle,where it says little shef in writing it just after that,not where the writing is, they have umbrellers out side,but I myself would not use them from past experiance
------------- Think this year is to follow old meet friends for 2014.
If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
I went to as little chef about 6 months ago whilst travelling.
Overcooked, poor quality extremly expensive. Breakfast for 3 of us cost about £24!!! (bearing in mind their breakfast prices do not include coffee/tea).
Resturant was dirty, and if I had of seen the toilets before I ate, I would have shot out that door so damn fast you wouldn't have seen us! Disgusting.
We went to the Little Chef May Bank hols near Exeter Racecourse. After 20 mins of sitting there, with 2 under 18 year olds running the joint, about 5 tables waiting to be served ahead of us we walked out. Drove to the other side of the road to the Haldon Diner and the food was a million times better and cheaper. We were eating within 10 minutes of walking in.
No contest. They seem to increasingly think they can run Little Chefs with people that haven't a clue about how to do it nor how to cook and it is ruining their reputation.
They aren't called Little Thief for nothing!! I think we've only paid for drinks more often than we have paid the full bill on the rare occasions we've resorted to them, due to complaints about the food/service - only charging for drinks seems to be the standard answer to complaints!
We went into a little Chef 2 years ago and it was really good. They cooked it when we were there. Sounds like they have gone down in quality a bit then.
pete1946.: I found it on Google earth. Thanks
ukwoody: We only paid about £30 for 5 full breakfast's with tea coffee and soft drinks. That was 2 years ago so there prices have gone up a lot then.
snowy747: Is the Haldon Diner the one circled on the map?
Thanks everyone Might resort to sandwiches and flasks.
Can't understand why, when you have your own facilities behind you, people resort to such rubbish! Much cheaper, healthier and cleaner to use our own dining facilities! It also means you don't leave your unit and therefore making it less likely to have it stolen by some lowlife!
oooooh, hope thats not too strong, but i hate 'Little Chef's. Not used one for sooooooooo many years. Sounds like they have got worse.
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Topic: Little Chef
