nickshanagher

Sadly, I missed Heston Blumenthal's televised visit to Little Chef in an effort to turnaround the restaurant's fortunes, which have ebbed steadily for more than 20 years in the face of nimble competition and cheaper alternatives for road users seeking a quick meal. Fortunately for me, the FT's management writer Stefan Stern did not. Mr Blumenthal, one of the world's top chefs, criticised Little Chef as being "hardwired into spending as little as possible on ingredients" and for poor service standards. Under his coaching, quality improved as was show in a second TV show. However, Mr Stern noted that standards slipped between Mr Blumenthal's visits and took his family on a visit after the TV show to evaluate progress. Or the lack of it. "Service was poor," he said. "The waiting staff distracted and inefficient..." The problem, Mr Stern suggests is about supervision. Management, he says, is hard work. Change can only be driven by we...