Happy Eater print: A Taste of Childhood Road Trips
- Katie Elliott
- Apr 2
- 3 min read
Happy Eater was a prominent family restaurant chain in 1980s southern England, easily recognised by its yellow branding, animal play areas, and distinctive (if somewhat odd) red mascot. In search of why the Happy eater restaurant went into demise i created two Happy Eater Print's.
Considered Forte's more upscale roadside offering compared to Little Chef, Happy Eater boasted larger spaces, better play facilities, and separate kitchens. Its yellow-themed interiors featured Formica tables with red edging.
The restaurants offered children's merchandise like caps and badges proclaiming "I'm a Happy Eater," along with Lego and games. They even partnered with Chessington Zoo for a cassette tape. Happy Eater received accolades, being named the best family restaurant chain by Parents Magazine in 1983 and the best roadside chain by the Daily Mirror in 1991.
Popular on Sundays with families and weekdays with business travellers, the menu included dishes like 'Happy Eater Fast Fry', 'Bangerbake', and fish and chips, with kid-friendly options like 'Dog's Delight' and 'Mr Happy's Ice Cream'.
Famously associated with Prime Minister John Major in the early 90s, Happy Eater is also remembered for its somewhat peculiar original logo, which was later redrawn in 1993, though many locations had already ceased operations.
Happy Eater, was the brainchild of Michael Pickard, who launched the family restaurant chain in 1972 after leaving Trust Houses during their merger with Forte. Backed by Courage Brewery (Imperial Group), Happy Eater was headquartered in Epsom's 'Pickard House', with the first branch opening in Ripley in May 1973.
Former Trust Houses colleague Allen Jones, of Welcome Break fame, soon joined Pickard. While an initial geographical separation was intended, with Happy Eater focusing on the southeast, Welcome Break largely faded away by 1978. Happy Eater then sought growth through franchising, targeting various locations across southern England, with a vision of professionalising the roadside dining experience.
By 1980, Happy Eater boasted 21 restaurants, often located in existing buildings near petrol stations, strategically chosen for accessibility and parking. The brand then accelerated its expansion with a standardised, quickly constructed building design and a partnership with Esso, all centred around a consistent, bright yellow customer experience. Most sites were leased, with a few owned and one franchised.
The chain grew to 85 restaurants before Imperial Group's 1986 acquisition by Hanson Trust, who swiftly sold their hospitality interests to Trusthouse Forte. Forte generally favoured Happy Eater's approach, aiming for significant expansion to 200 locations, positioning it between their Little Chef and Harvester brands. Interestingly, a planned Happy Eater video game was scrapped but later released as 'Dizzy' by another company. During these ownership changes, Allen Jones and Jane Pickard departed to establish their own similar venture, AJ's.
Forte's acquisition of Happy Eater, adding to their 220 Little Chefs, triggered scrutiny from the Monopoly and Mergers Commission, which ultimately cleared the takeover.
Forte then invested in Happy Eater as their more upscale offering, introducing a less formal "Mark II" interior design in May 1989, featuring varied seating options. This contrasted with Little Chef, which Forte seemed to prioritise as their more mainstream brand. By 1991, Happy Eater's menu offered slightly cheaper and more diverse options than Little Chef.
However, Happy Eater's time was limited. When Granada acquired Trusthouse Forte in 1995, they deemed both Happy Eater and Little Chef "tired" brands. Favouring a single, heavily promoted roadside chain, Granada decided to convert all Happy Eater locations into Little Chefs.
This led to an overabundance of Little Chefs and eventual closures. Ironically, Forte had considered selling both brands to Whitbread to avoid the Granada takeover, a move that could have saved Happy Eater.
Today, while a similarly named restaurant chain exists in Mauritius, the UK rights to Happy Eater are owned by Kuwait's Kout Food Group, leaving the possibility of a future revival uncertain. Its early history, however, served as inspiration for the Brightside restaurant chain, launched in 2023.
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