And The Chef Got Littler

As a marketer it is always great to get a success on one of your own projects. That is a totally acceptable emotion. However, the urge to shout “I told you so!” and burst in an orgy of self-satisfaction at others’ failures is not so healthy. Hence, it was with some sadness, although not surprise, to read about the latest downturn in the Little Chef’s career.

I wrote about what I felt was wrong at Little Chef over a year ago, when a new marketing chief was installed.

In that post, I tried to carry out a brief assessment of the marketing mix with relation to the chain. I tried to point out that the whole lot needed an overhaul. Did the owners agree with me? Apparently not, as they lost over £50 million on the venture.

The restaurants are still overpriced for what they sell and staffed by often demoralised people. I rarely go into the places nowadays – simply burning tenners then chewing on my own shoes is much easier. However, my one visit did confirm that prices were still way too high and that the menu was little different – except for the addition of a couple of salads to look “healthy.”

So what did they try to do to reverse the continued downward spiral? They changed the logo… But of course! The problem with Little Chef is that the chef on the logo is fat – if he were thin, then the whole operation would be different!

I am convinced that there is a future for the chain. They have good sites and still hold some affection with people who used to enjoy eating there as children. What they have to do is not simply go for short-term fixes like advertising campaigns or new logos, but address the entire marketing mix.

The Little Chef can rise again and slay their Johnny-Come-Lately American foe McDonalds. I really hope they can – if only for the 3,500 people who work there, some of whom are still there from my own student days.

So what is the solution? I usually moan in my blog and offer little in the way of an answer. Today, however, I have an idea!

Little Chef can no longer compete on convenience when McDonalds are so much faster, they can not compete on price compared to Asda or independent roadside cafes. They can not compete on sheer quality compared to good pubs and restaurants. However, they can compete ethically.

Little Chef could go the way of Co-op and set itself up as an ethically-led brand. A key idea could be food miles – each restaurant could source its own food locally and display how many miles each item has travelled to get there. Maybe a high-quality training an development system for the staff to motivate them and show that they are treated well.

Now I know what you’re thinking – all of that sounds expensive and I have already moaned about the prices. The fact is that it needn’t be expensive. Gordon Ramsay proves in just about every episode of Kitchen Nightmares that you can buy local food for less than pre-packed rubbish. As for training and development, take a look at some of the businesses who get high up the Sunday Times Best Companies To Work For list – Asda is there or thereabouts every year and they aren’t exactly expensive.

Well that’s 2 of the 7 P’s covered – if the Little Chef’s new owners RCapital want to know the rest then I am available!

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