Big Chef Takes on Little Chef

As the man known as the one who serves 'bacon & egg ice cream' and 'snail porridge', Heston Blumenthal coming in to revamp the Little Chef chain of restaurants scares many of the existing Little Chef front line staff. Before meeting with the company's new CEO Ian Pegler - the man who brought Heston in - Heston decides to eat at a Little Chef for the first time in twenty years to see what's on the menu and sample a wide array of the food. He can see why no one eats there anymore as the food tastes awful and the menu tries to please everyone but in the end succeeds in pleasing no one. After meeting with Pegler, Heston comes away more confused than ever in part because of information which Heston sees as important that Pegler will not divulge. Still continuing on with the project, Heston has his own goals for its success: don't alienate the existing customers, bring British back to the menu and bring excitement back into the brand. His first deadline is to come up with a new trial menu to be tested at one Little Chef restaurant in four weeks time. Some other constraints are the Little Chef kitchens, which have no pots or pans (everything is cooked on a single temperature griddle or in a microwave); the capabilities, or lack thereof, of the existing front line staff; meeting creative expectations for products that will be priced under £10; and the need of the company to have the food consistent from one restaurant to another. But Heston's biggest obstacle seems to be Pegler himself. After gathering whatever information he can including Little Chef customer wants, Heston and his team devise a new menu based on British classics with his own twists. Beyond Heston himself and his team, will anyone that matters like the new menu?