Fatty Arbuckle's

Company logo
The original Fatty Arbuckle's Logo.

Fatty Arbuckle's American Diners was an American-themed restaurant chain in the UK. The Manchester-based business was founded by Pete Shotton – an associate of The Beatles – in 1983. It focused on large portions at cheap prices. The name refers to Hollywood director and silent movie star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle.

Growth & demise

The chain, which saw two-thirds of all restaurants operated by franchisees, had grown to more than 30 outlets since its first franchise opened in 1991.[1] Its flagship diner was in London's West End, with other outlets at Tottenham, Harrow and Islington in north London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Chester, Oxford, Rhyl, Manchester, Salford Quays, Bradford, Belfast, Winchester, Wigan, Poole, Southampton, Dundee and Grimsby.

By the early 2000s, founder Shotton sold the chain for an undisclosed sum. "Fatty" was removed from the name, and the restaurants were rebranded as "Arbuckle's". There is one Arbuckle's restaurant remaining in the UK; in the Norfolk town of Downham Market.

References

  1. ↑ "This idea is a fat lot of good". The Independent. 29 September 1996.
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