Little Chef announces roll out of Heston Blumenthal project

After months of speculation, the roadside restaurant chain has confirmed that a further two restaurants – in York and Kettering – are to be relaunched in the same style as the brand's Popham restaurant, which Heston revamped for the Channel 4 series, 'Big Chef Takes on Little Chef'. The two new restaurants will also feature the same menu that Heston introduced at Popham. Since the series aired in January this year there has been intense interest as to whether Little Chef would implement Heston's changes across its entire 175-strong estate. The refurbishment of the restaurants in York and Kettering, which will create a minimum of 35 new jobs locally, is now underway and will be filmed for a further episode of 'Big Chef Takes on Little Chef'. Ian Pegler, chief executive of Little Chef, said: "Big Chef Takes on Little Chef was a huge hit and the fact that there has been so much interest in a further episode and what happens next is a great indication of how fondly the media and the public view Little Chef. "Heston's menu and the redesign of Popham have been very popular and, after very carefully analysing the results of the trial there we feel the time is right to enter the next stage of development. We are now ready to take the concept to restaurants in both the North and Midlands to see how they are received. "It's great to be working with Heston again and we are delighted to have his continued support." A follow-up of Big Chef Takes on Little Chef, produced by TwoFour Productions, will be broadcast on Channel 4 in the autumn.