Little Chef hunts brands for joint campaigns

by James Quilter, Brand Republic 27-Feb-09, 08:30

LONDON - Little Chef, the beleaguered roadside restaurant, is looking to team up with lifestyle brands for partnership marketing.

Little Chef is planning to offer brands the opportunity to create promotions including discounts on its menu and in-store advertising in its restaurants.

To implement this it has appointed partnership specialist Cocktail Marketing.

Relevant brand partners are being sought out in the retail, media and leisure sectors. Little Chef is also looking to tie up with FMCG brands on-pack promotions.

The campaigns will form one of a series of marketing initiatives for 2009. Little Chef marketing director Lindsay Howard said the proposition "Little Chef is changing" will be at the heart of all 2009 brand activity.

The infamous cafe recently featured in a documentary with Heston Blumenthal in which the celebrity chef attempted to turn the Little Chef around.

The Channel 4 show captured 3.2m viewers and some of the Blumenthal innovations are expected to be implemented this year.

Little Chef was launched in 1958 following the opening of the M1. Although motorways have gone from strength to strength, Little Chef's progress has not been so illustrious.

It has had four owners since 2002 and the chain has shrunk from over 400 restaurants in its heyday to around 180 today.