The boss of Little Chef has hit back at accusations
that he is the new David Brent.
that he is the new David Brent.
Roadside restaurant chain brought in celebrity chef to revamp menu
Ian Pegler has faced ridicule for using management jargon such as "Blue Sky Thinking" when he appeared alongside celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal in the TV series Big Chef Takes On Little Chef.
In his first interview since the Channel 4 programme was broadcast, the Little Chef chief executive rejected the criticisms.
He said: "The David Brent thing? The Spectator business - it says 'New Year is a time for blue sky thinking'.
"Now, did they steal that from me? Or was I ahead of my time?"
He added that he has no regrets about appearing in the show.
"It's been great publicity for Heston and Little Chef and the business is booming," he explained.
"You don't embark on this kind of thing without somebody having a go at you and frankly if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen."
Mr Pegler also denied claims that the project was just a publicity stunt and he had no plans to implement Heston Blumenthal's new menu.
"We're going to review it at the end of February," he said.
"We're going to sit down with Heston and... discuss with him what that roll-out programme might look like."
Heston Blumenthal's dishes for Little Chef include such delicacies as braised ox cheeks alongside a revamped version of longtime favourite The Olympic Breakfast.
Despite being a British institution Little Chef has had serious financial problems in the past and went into administration in 2007.
