Little Chef drops Harry Ramsden's
Customers eating at 40 Little Chef restaurants will not be able to order Harry Ramsden's meals when owner Compass Group withdraws the dishes from its menus next week.
Compass, which sold its Little Chef restaurants to venture capitalist Permira in December 2002, said it was removing the fish-and-chip shop's dishes from 6 July.
Compass set up a franchise deal with Permira to add the dishes to its Little Chef menus following the sale of the roadside restaurants. A spokeswoman for Compass said it had decided to end the agreement because it preferred to concentrate on its stand-alone Harry Ramsden's restaurants.
Garry Cross, managing director of Harry Ramsden's, said although the deal was successful in adding sales it "diluted" brand recognition.