Heston Blumenthal effect raises profit forecasts for Little Chef
Roadside restaurant chain Little Chef has forecast full-year profits of £3m thanks to Heston Blumenthal's involvement in the group.
Little Chef, which collapsed into administration in 2007, appointed Blumenthal, chef-patron of the three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, to consult on its food offering last year.
Blumenthal's revamped menu, which he created during the Channel 4 documentary Big Chef Little Chef, was trialled at the Little Chef branch in Popham, Hampshire, and was so well received that it was subsequently rolled out to outlets in York and Kettering West.
Little Chef has now said that that thanks to Blumenthal's involvement, the group has "bounced back stronger than ever", with profits forecast at £3m, on turnover of £77m for the 12 months to the end of December 2009.
Little Chef chief executive Ian Pegler said: "We are now taking the Heston menu to restaurants in the North and Midlands to see how it is received.
"There's hope for other household brand names like Woolworths which were tripped over by the recession but have a soft spot in the hearts and minds of the nation."
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By Kerstin Kühn
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