Guide to Harry Ramsden's
Harry Ramsden's

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Many more photos in the gallery
Used by:Extra
Introduced:1995
Removed:2022
Predecessors:Eat In, Papa John's Pizza
Successors:Bar & Grill, The Good Breakfast, Chopstix Noodle Bar
Official Website:
www.harryramsdens.co.uk

The boomerang of the motorway network; Harry Ramsden's has been introduced on three different occasions, by a different operator each time.

Its most recent appearance is at Extra's Baldock services, where it will take on the famous branding in January 2026, replacing a branch of the Deep Blue trend.

While the brand is very well known, it has never had that many branches (when compared with rival service station franchises). As a result, the motorway has often been the main place the public encountered it.

Granada Partnership

An advert for Harry Ramsden's at a Moto service area.

Two Harry Ramsden's waitress restaurants were opened at Granada service areas in around 1995: one at Hilton Park, and one in the hotel adjoining Exeter.

These were described as a new brand trial and the Hilton Park one was initially described as being very successful. Granada were open to rolling it out to more sites. They also trialled Harry Ramsden's inside Little Chefs, but they decided Burger King would be a better fit in such a small space.

Granada agreed to operate franchised Harry Ramsden's kiosks in a £20million deal in 1999 (around £37million in 2025). They later purchased the entire chain and introduced a Harry Ramsden's restaurant to most of their service areas. They said they liked the way it catered for business customers on weekdays, and families on weekends.

Granada introduced the pager system used by many busy restaurants to their service areas, so that customers could spend time in their shopping areas while waiting for their food to be prepared.

After Granada merged with Compass, they again suggested Harry Ramsden's operate alongside Little Chef, but this time as part of a new format called Little Chef Choices. This was withdrawn in 2004 with Harry Ramsden's commenting that it was diluting the identity of both brands. Despite this, Compass were rolling out Harry Ramsden's to many more places, including Butlins and the Post Office, meaning this was when the brand was at its most well-known.

By 2005, Moto were starting to remove Harry Ramsden's from the former Granada service areas, in favour of other franchises. Moto being sold by Compass in 2006 would have accelerated this. Harry Ramsden's later said they wanted to be recognised as a restaurant in their own right, and not as part of a different chain. The Exeter branch lasted until 2013, long after the other motorway sites had closed.

An average meal at a service station Harry Ramsden's in 2005 cost nearly £8, drawing criticism at the time. That's worth around £14 in 2025.

Welcome Break Partnership

Amid news that Harry Ramsden's new owner Boparan Ventures Limited wanted to expand the chain, and Welcome Break were looking to streamline their catering, the brand returned to the motorway network in December 2013, with Welcome Break opening a branch at Woodall southbound. Welcome Break had previously commented that after breakfasts, their most popular meal was fish and chips, making Harry Ramsden's a desirable partner.

A 10-year contract was soon agreed, with Welcome Break replacing all their Eat In restaurants with Harry Ramsden's franchises. These formed food courts where they were normally joined by Starbucks, Subway and Tossed. Among this line-up, Harry Ramsden's acted as the main restaurant option, and before 11am it offered an extensive breakfast menu with the option of buying rolls as takeaway. After a brief period in hiding, Harry Ramsden's was now available across the country again.

Welcome Break also introduced Harry Ramsden's to some Extra-branded service areas, where Welcome Break had agreed to provide the catering.

The Fleet branch was destroyed in a fire during 2017, so Harry Ramsden's supplied a branded van from which their food could be served. The replacement was one of very few motorway sites to use the blue 'Harry Ramsden' branding, as opposed to the more familiar red colours.

In line with most service station franchises, Welcome Break suspended their Harry Ramsden's offering on 21 March 2020, in response to COVID-19. Most Harry Ramsden's units began to be changed to The Good Breakfast in June 2020. While a few branches did later reopen, most didn't follow until October 2020. That reopening was short-lived, as the second lockdown caused them to close again on 5 November 2020.

By spring 2022, Welcome Break had 10 Harry Ramsden's units operating, but with The Good Breakfast providing the breakfast menu. These stores were all removed by 30 August 2022, allowing the Harry Ramsden's element to be replaced by Chopstix Noodle Bar.

Locations

Former Locations

Harry Ramsden's operated at the following service areas: