Little Chef serves up a tasty return

Roadside restaurant chain Little Chef says its new "concept" restaurants are proving a success with customers after the latest batch of revamped outlets saw sales jump 47 per cent.

The chain's owner, RCapital, has turned around the iconic brand's fortunes since taking over the business in 2007. It has gone from making a yearly loss of 7 million to profits of 2.5m.

The company hired Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal as a consultant and has developed a new look and menu to be rolled out across the 162-strong chain.

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Yesterday, it said it had refurbished nine more restaurants, on top of the three that piloted the changes.

The 12 new-style outlets have seen covers rise 33 per cent to 20,000 a week, with average spend per head up by more than 14 per cent to 7.84. The changes have also created 70 jobs.

RCapital now plans to spend 20m to refurbish at least 20 more restaurants in the next 12 months, with the rest of the estate to follow.

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