The Forres branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the A96 near Forres, Scotland.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: A96, Forres, Moray, IV36 2SP
ONSITE FACILITIES: Fourtwo HQ
History[]
The Little Chef opened in 1984/85 on the A96, just to the west of the town of Forres. Built in the house style of the 1970s/ early 80s, with the flat roof and the large funnel-like roof bulge, Forres may have looked like a typical Little Chef of the time but it was something of a celebrity in Little Chef circles. That was because, on opening, it instantly became Little Chef's furthest north outpost when it opened, snatching the crown from fellow A96 site Inverness. This was an accolade it kept throughout it's lifespan and a point that Little Chef frequently championed when they boasted of their UK coverage stretching from Forres in the Highlands to Hayle in Cornwall.
For a large part of the 80s and 90s, the field beside the Little Chef used to play host to an elderly but very friendly white horse who proved popular with customers and a willing recipient of some of the Little Chef leftovers.
Sadly in 2004, Little Chef's then parents, Permira, put a host of sites up for sale and Forres was one of them, closing that same year and ending an era for Little Chef in the process,
It became a Steakhouse for a while and then it became a branch of the Bervie Chipper (along with the former Little Chef at Brechin).
Happily though the Little Chef legacy lives on. The building remains the same, the colouring is still red and white and the toilets and front door still play host to Little Chef signage. The Gents toilet even has a Travelodge poster from the early 2000s in it. Other remains included a Little Chef 'Please Safeguard Your Property' security notice on the side of the building, and the bins and minimilk lamp posts in the car park.
In 2014/15, the Bervie Chipper ceased trading and in April 2015, an unexpected fire occurred at the former chippy. It was unknown what caused the fire as the restaurant was vacant when it happened, therefore it wasn't down to errors in cooking or faulty equipment.
The site reopened in 2019 as Fourtwo HQ, a biker café and car dealer. The café closed in September 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, before the building was split into two with K9 Deli opening at the front of the building and Route 96 Pizza opening to the rear in September 2021.
