Euro Garages, the independent forecourt operator, has acquired the 70-strong Little Chef portfolio, from Kuwaiti-based Kout Food Group, for an unknown price.
Kout Food Group bought Little Chef for £15m in 2013. Its UK arm, Kout Food Group Restaurants UK, operates brands such as Burger King, KFC and Maison Blanc.
The Little Chef brand was founded in 1958 by entrepreneur Sam Alper, and modelled on American diners. It specialises in the Olympic Breakfast, its version of a full English, and Jubilee Pancakes.
The restaurants are mostly located on sites on A roads, often paired with a Travelodge motel and a petrol station. They used to be on motorways in Moto Services but were removed in 2009.
Last October, Euro Garages joined forces with European Forecourt Retail Group (EFR), creating a new holding group called Intervias and a combined board. Both businesses are owned by private equity firm TDR Capital, which bought a minority stake in Euro Garages in October 2015 in a deal that valued the company at £1.3bn.
Euro Garages has forged high-profile relationships with nationally and globally recognised retail and convenience brands, now operating in excess of 67 Starbucks drive-to and drive-thru restaurants, 146 Subway sub-stations and 100 Gregg’s bakeries.