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Fresh Express

Fresh Express
Fresh Express
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Locations:29 services
Often accompanied by:Caffè Ritazza, Café Nescafé
Used by:Granada. Moto
Introduced:1999
Removed:2008
Predecessors:Country Kitchen Restaurant
Successors:Eat & Drink Co.

Fresh Express was Moto's first own brand restaurant name. It was designed as a generic brand that would work alongside other eateries, and was created by BDG McColl for Granada in 1999, as part of their plan to shake-up their interiors and catering options.

Until then, motorway dining had generally been based around one option, such as Country Kitchen. Having just acquired a whole host of new brands, Granada wanted to introduce a food court to their service areas, offering the likes of Little Chef, Harry Ramsden's and Burger King. Fresh Express existed firstly to fill any remaining gaps in that offer, by providing a number of simple, quick meals which still had an allegiance to brand names: Nescafé, Linda McCartney, Heinz, Tetley and Coca-Cola were all heavily promoted on the menu. Product ranges included 'Special Selection' and 'Fare Deal', and there was an emphasis on quality, with Granada's "no quibble guarantee".

The second function of Fresh Express was to advertise that fresh food was now available at Granada's petrol stations. Café Nescafé would have been provided inside, and other brands were looked at too. Granada also wanted to build outdoor 'takeaway and retail' buildings at small sites like Saltash and Markfield, which would probably have carried the Fresh Express brands. Neither of these ideas were carried through.

Evolution

Doncaster Fresh Express.
A Fresh Express dining area.

None of these new restaurant options featured the Granada name, which was one of many steps they took to try to refresh the image of motorway catering. It may have worked for a while, but Fresh Express was managed directly by Granada and quickly came under criticism. Critics called for the state of Fresh Express to be investigated "as a matter of urgency" while Granada argued they couldn't invest fully in their catering because of the restrictions placed on their industry.

After Granada became Moto, many Little Chefs and Harry Ramsden's closed, but Caffè Ritazza was introduced to all restaurants. Often this was just a counter within the existing Fresh Express servery. At some older service areas there wasn't enough space to fully embrace the food court idea, so Fresh Express existed as a stand-alone restaurant in its own right, with a servery and a dining area. Ritazza would go on to become more prominently advertised.

The first Fresh Express logo used a cursive font, with a chequered sign. This was quickly replaced by the plate on wheels, which was removed in 2007. As a legacy of a previous idea, some service areas had an area branded generically "Restaurant", which remained with a Fresh Express-branded offer within it.

In 2008 Fresh Express became EDC, under a very low-budget re-brand. Some Fresh Express furniture and vinyls remained in place until long afterwards.

Locations

Fresh Express used to be found at the following Granada and Moto sites: