 | |
| Industry | Roadside restaurant chain |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | Sir Michael Pickard |
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Fate | Merged into Little Chef |
| Owner | Kout Food Group K.S.C.C. (trademarks) |
Happy Eater was a chain of restaurants in England and Wales. Founded by Sir Michael Pickard in 1973, the chain wanted to compete against the British roadside restaurant category killer at the time, Little Chef. The chain was acquired by Little Chef's parent company, Trusthouse Forte, in August 1986.
In January 1996, Granada purchased Trusthouse Forte, which led to a streamlining programme converting all Happy Eater sites to the Little Chef brand, with some larger sites also having Burger King franchises introduced to them.[1]
- ^ "Granada wins control of Forte". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 November 2024.