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Happy Eater

Happy Eater
Locations:up to 85
Often accompanied by:Esso
Used by:Welcome Break
Introduced:1973
Removed:1996
Predecessors:Welcome Break
Successors:Little Chef
See also:AJ's, Brightside

Happy Eater was a family restaurant chain which became a common sight in the 1980s, especially in southern England. It was known for its distinctive yellow branding, animal-shaped outdoor play areas and its slightly unwell-looking red mascot.

Forte considered Happy Eater to be the most upmarket roadside brand they owned. The Happy Eaters were more spacious than their siblings at Little Chef, they had better play areas and they had separate kitchens. Each restaurant had a yellow theme, with yellow light shades hanging from the roof and yellow Formica tables, with bright red plastic edging and steel legs.

Childrens' caps and badges were provided saying "I'm a Happy Eater", as well as Lego and games. A cassette called Mr Happy's Fun Tape was sold in partnership with Chessington Zoo. Parents Magazine declared Happy Eater the best restaurant chain for families in 1983, and the Daily Mirror said it was the best roadside restaurant chain in 1991.

Happy Eaters were especially busy on Sundays, as families would head out of town for the day. On weekdays the trade came mostly from businessmen. Meals included the 'Happy Eater Fast Fry', 'Bangerbake' and fish and chips, while children's meals included 'Dog's Delight', 'Little Porkers' and 'Mr Happy's Ice Cream'.

In 1991, the brand came to be associated with then-Prime Minister John Major, who was seen dining at one while on his way to a speech and reportedly visited regularly.

Much has been said about Happy Eater's unfortunate logo. It was actually redrawn in 1993 to remove the hand (example), but by then most branches had already closed.

View Happy Eater menu (1979)

Company History

Happy Eater restaurant.
The Winning Post Happy Eater.

Happy Eater was set up in 1972 by Michael Pickard, who left Trust Houses when they merged with Forte. The company was owned by Courage Brewery, itself owned by the Imperial Group, with Happy Eater being based at 'Pickard House' in Epsom. The first branch opened in Ripley in May 1973.

Michael Pickard was later joined by former Trust Houses colleague Allen Jones, who had previously set up Welcome Break Family Restaurant. It was initially decided that Happy Eater would focus on the south east while Welcome Break remained in the south west, but by 1978 any Welcome Breaks that weren't re-branded had been closed. The new company opened up franchising opportunities, and said they were targetting "High Streets, shopping centres and main roads in the southern half of England".

"We're not only creating an industry but a profession."
Sandy Ross, Commercial Director, 1985

By 1980, Happy Eater had 21 restaurants. These mostly used existing pubs and cafés, usually next to a petrol station. Their policy was to look for "a straight road approach, easy access and good parking".

At this point Happy Eater began to scale up their operation, with a standard building design that could be constructed quickly, and a partnership with Esso that helped them find new locations, but all were aiming for the same user experience. More bright yellow colours were introduced. Most sites were now leased from a garage or petrol station; a few were owned and one was franchised. Two older branches were joined to their own Pickard Motor Hotels.

The number of restaurants had grown to 85 before Imperial Group were acquired by Hanson Trust in 1986, which sold its hospitality chains to Trusthouse Forte that August. Forte ended a few projects they thought would be unprofitable, including a planned Happy Eater video game - that was later launched under another brand, 'Dizzy'. In general Forte approved of Happy Eater, noting its careful site selection and long opening hours. They wanted to expand it to 200 branches, treating it as the middle ground between their Little Chef and Harvester brands.

A report found that the average spend on a meal in 1986 was £3, with their hamburgers priced at £2.75, a meal they encouraged visitors to try as it was becoming "increasingly popular". During the two takeovers, Allen Jones and Jane Pickard left Imperial Group and went on to form a similar chain, AJ's.

With Forte already owning 220 Little Chef restaurants, the Monopoly and Mergers Commission were called in to investigate their purchase of Happy Eater. This concluded that the takeover was no threat to the public interest, as new restaurants could still enter the industry.

Forte developed Happy Eater as their more upmarket brand, introducing a new styling in May 1989 which was much less formal, offering customers a variety of seating including stools and sofas, known as the Mark II era. This was trialled at Peterborough and Colsterworth. By contrast, Little Chef was a more 'common man's' brand, and one that Forte appeared to prioritise.

By 1991, the menu charged 75p for a cup of tea, £2.90 for a burger, chips and dessert, and £1.55 for pancakes with maple syrup. These prices were marginally cheaper than Little Chef's offer, and its menu more varied, with bold options like breaded baby sweetcorn, chilli con carne and passion cake and chocolate pudding.

Closure

Trusthouse Forte were bought by Granada in 1995, who said both Happy Eater and Little Chef were "tired". Granada believed in the power of a strong brand and economies of scale, and decided that there should be one roadside restaurant chain that they would promote relentlessly. They decided this would be Little Chef, and all the Happy Eaters were immediately converted to Little Chefs.

This meant there was now an over-saturation of Little Chef restaurants, including some branches that had been originally intended to compete with each other. This eventually led to a mass-closure of restaurants.

To try to protect itself from the takeover, Forte put together a plan which would have seen both Little Chef and Happy Eater sold to Whitbread. This would have create a whole new scenario where Happy Eater may well have continued trading. That said, even before the takeover, some Happy Eaters were still being converted to Little Chefs.

Legacy

Happy Eater signpost.
The Happy Eater signpost.

A chain of restaurants in Mauritius now operates under the 'Happy Eater' name, with a very similar logo. They say they were founded in 1996.

The rights to the Happy Eater name in the UK are now owned by Kout Food Group in Kuwait, following the liquidation of their subsidiary, which had been dedicated to monetising the Little Chef and Happy Eater brands. Note that this did not necessarily mean they were seeking to open new restaurants, but that they may not have turned down an opportunity if one arose. It's not clear what the current owner's intentions are, beyond protecting their intellectual property.

Happy Eater's early days was stated as one of the inspirations for the restaurant chain Brightside, which launched in February 2023.

Locations

See also: Map of Happy Eater restaurants

Happy Eater operated at the following locations.

Note that the branch numbering was not always consecutive, or consistent. In the Forte era, some planned Little Chefs and Happy Eaters were swapped around as construction started, causing confusion in the historical records: we believe our list is an accurate record of what actually opened as a Happy Eater.

Where further information is available on the service area, you can tap its name for details.

Branch Number Restaurant Road (at the time) Notes
078 Andover North A303
079 Andover South A303
048 Apex Corner A1 Closed circa 1994 (not converted).
098 Attleborough A11
062 Baldock A1
039 Barham A2 Closed circa 1996 (not converted).
031 Basildon A127
070 Belbroughton A491
077 Bere Regis A31
004 Betchworth A25 Closed circa 1996 (not converted).
099 Bicester A41 One of the first to become a Little Chef.
065 Birstall A62
102 Burford A40 Was planned to be a Little Chef.
001 Burgh Heath (Pickard Motor Hotel) A217 Originally Heathside Hotel. Not converted.
073 Burnley A671 (M65) One of the first to become a Little Chef.
046 Burton South A38
013 Camel Cross A303 Closed in favour of Camel Hill Little Chef, which became a Happy Eater.
069 Cannock A5 Was Jubilee Café.
058 Capel St Mary A12
002 Charing A20 Second branch to open, July 1973.
055 Chester A41 Closed circa 1996 (not converted).
017 Chipping Norton A44
030 Codford A36
040 Colsterworth North A1
101 Colsterworth South A1
076 Colwyn Bay A55
??? Coombe Lane (Kingston Bypass) North A3 Opened 1975, closed very early (not converted).
??? Coombe Lane (Kingston Bypass) South A3 Opened 1975, closed 1979 (not converted).
061 Croxton A45 Closed circa 1994 (not converted).
081 Daventry A45
025 Detling A249
074 Detling South (Stockbury) A249
097 Doncaster A1
045 East Dereham A47
066 Elkesley A1 Closed circa 1994 (not converted).
087 Feering A12
005 Felbridge A22 Closed circa 1996 (not converted).
032 Freckenham A11
035 Hailsham A22
096 Hailsham A22
003 Handcross A23 Known for being the "third oldest" branch.
??? Henstridge A30 Former Welcome Break.
034 Hindhead (Pickard Motor Hotel) A3 Previously the Royal Huts Hotel.
006 Hogs Back A31
064 Holbeach A17 Was Ron's Café.
010 Holmwood A24 Former Welcome Break, converted in 1978.
012 Hooley A23 Was Cosy Corner Café
027 Horsham A24
083 Ilminster A303
015 Kennford North A38 Former Welcome Break.
016 Kennford South A38
009 Lamberhurst/Flimwell A21 Former Welcome Break. Opened on 19 June 1978, later rebuilt.
028 Leicester Forest East North & South M1 Two restaurants within the motorway service area. At least one was in the transport café. Northbound opened first.
075 Manchester A34
024 Markham Moor A1
089 Martlesham A12
059 Matlock (Darley Dale) A6
063 Membury West & East M4 Outside the motorway services. Converted circa 1992.
104 Newark A1/A17/A46
041 Newmarket North A14
042 Newmarket South A14
094 Northop Hall A55
036 Nottingham A52
093 Oakmere A556 One of the first to become a Little Chef
019 Peterborough A1
085 Picket Post A31
037 Rainton North A1 One of the first to become a Little Chef.
038 Rainton South A1 One of the first to become a Little Chef.
011 Rake A3 Former Welcome Break. Closed circa 1994, after the bypass (not converted).
100 Ross Spur A449 (M50) At the northbound Welcome Break site.
044 Royston A505
108 Saltash A38 One of the first to become a Little Chef.
047 Sawtry North A1
051 Sawtry South A1
056 Saxmundham A12
029 Selby Fork A1
??? Send A3 The first branch - opened in May 1973. Was Crossways Café.
049 Skipbridge A59 One of the first to become a Little Chef.
082 South Cave East A63 One of the first to become a Little Chef.
086 South Cave West A63 One of the first to become a Little Chef.
103 Sparkford A303 Built to replace Camel Cross.
072 St Leonards A31 Opened 1986 on site of Wimpy. Closed around 1996 (not converted).
043 Swindon A419
023 Tempsford A1
071 Thirsk A168 One of the first to become a Little Chef.
091 Todhills A74 One of the first to become a Little Chef.
??? Tottenham Court Road A400 Franchised restaurant.
022 Ware A10 Was Jack's Café.
067 Westcott (Quarrendon) A41 Was John's Café. Closed circa 1994 (not converted).
084 Western Avenue A40
080 Weston on the Green A34
054 Whitchurch A49
018 Whitstable A299
092 Widnes A562 One of the first to become a Little Chef.
057 Wisbech A47 Possibly 2 restaurants?
052 Wisley North A3
053 Wisley South A3
026 Worthing A27
021 York A64 One of the first to become a Little Chef.