The Ludlow branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the A49 near Woofferton, Shropshire.
Address and Onsite Information[]
ADDRESS: A49 Station Road, Woofferton, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 4AL
ONSITE FACILITIES: Starbucks, Travelodge (Book Room)
History[]
Located in the small village of Woofferton, situated around 5 miles away from the market town of Ludlow, the Little Chef first opened in 1989/90 alongside a Travelodge hotel at a small site right next to the A49. The Little Chef at Ludlow had all the key ingredients for a successful site due to a number of different reasons. For starters, it was located on a single carriageway section of the A49, making the restaurant visible and accessible to all passing traffic. In addition to this, the lack of alternatives nearby meant that it had the ability to attract a large amount of passing trade in the area thanks to its isolated location in the middle of the countryside. Finally, the onsite Travelodge meant that the Little Chef could benefit from extra custom, especially when it came to the breakfast rush in the morning and the dinner rush in the evening. It was a site well chosen by then owners, Forte.
Despite the entrance to the Little Chef being tucked away from the A49 on a small side road, the side road leading to the Little Chef from the A49 did display signage indicating where both Little Chef and Travelodge were, therefore making drivers aware of the facilities without driving past.
The site continued to trade well until 2012 when then owners R Capital decided to close 67 sites that it deemed to be underperforming with Ludlow identified as one of these. By August, it had closed its doors, leaving the Travelodge and to soldier on alone. However though, all was not lost as a local pub located next door to the Travelodge, known as the Salwey Arms, provided breakfast, lunch and dinner, therefore Travelodge guests weren't left hungry with a just a closed Little Chef next door.
In 2016, Euro Garages acquired the old Little Chef building and turned it into a Starbucks, bringing back life to the former empty restaurant. The Starbucks store opened on Thursday 15 December 2016 and was Euro Garages' 66th Starbucks store.
