A303 at Podimore Roundabout
(also accessible to traffic on the A37 and the A372)
Signposted from the road.
BA22 8JG
map and directions
Single site located at a junction.
A hub of fast food units make this look like a traditional service area on the busy A303.
Facilities
Catering: Burger King, Greggs, Subway Amenities: Travelodge Outdoor Space: Woodland area on the far left as you drive in Forecourt: Esso, Londis, Costa Express, LPG (FloGas), Car Wash
Parking Prices
Short stay customer parking is available for all vehicles, with dedicated parking areas for each.
This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
A303-A37 Roundabout
Podimore
Yeovil
Somerset
BA22 8JG
Trivia and History
Signs outside the services in 1996.
A spacious site, positioned in the corner of the roundabout but with the entrance much further round than you might expect. It was built in a single plot of land which had been isolated by the new roads.
The land was purchased by the family who ran Barton Stacey services, and planning permission was obtained in 1987. The land was then sold to Forte, who built a hotel and restaurant, and leased the forecourt to Q8. Lots of space was left for parking and landscaping, but a lack of care has seen it become bleak. A tourist information building was provided in the middle of the complex of roads, but it is now abandoned.
After Little Chef and Travelodge were split up, everything except the restaurant became property of Travelodge. MFG now run the filling station. In June 2018, MFG were granted planning permission to demolish the current filling station and redevelop the site with the site gaining a larger shop and new pumps. Instead, they decided to refurbish and rebrand the existing sales building, with this becoming Londis in 2020.
Restaurant
The large Little ChefHistory restaurant was deliberately placed next to the A303, with its entrance around the back. It gained a Coffee Stop, but then part of the building was siphoned off to become a Burger King in 1996, with its own dedicated entrance. A Coffee Tempo! was then added, which was later replaced by Little Chef Express. The building was also chosen for the Wonderfully British refurbishment, which saw its side given distinctive, red branding.
Podimore was one of the last Little Chefs to continue trading right up until EG Group's use of the brand expired. It's thought their preferred franchisee, Starbucks, didn't want to share the building with the profitable Burger King. As a result, the restaurant took on the holding brand EG Diner.
The EG Diner closed in June 2018 and reopened as a Greggs and Subway later in the year. The Burger King unit was refurbished and moved within the building to a new location, creating a new food court-style complex which looked more like a standard EG Group set-up. A Sainsbury's On the Go store joined the line-up in 2019. It was later rebranded to SPAR in early 2021, before it permanently closed in autumn 2021.
After EG Group were effectively taken over by Asda in 2023, Asda became responsible for the building, making things even more complicated. As the building still has no shop, there is little for the supermarket chain to put their name on.
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Hazelgrove (4 miles) | Services on the A303 | Townsend (eastbound, 4 miles) Cartgate picnic area (5 miles) Cartgate Garage (westbound, 6 miles) |
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