Fatty Arbuckle's
 |
|
| Industry | restaurant chain |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | Pete Shotton |
| Defunct | sold in the early 2000s |
| Headquarters | Manchester, England |
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.
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. 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, Stoke-on-Trent, Poole, Southampton, Dundee, Southsea, Teesside 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". By 2006, the last remaining Arbuckle's was closed. The name was bought out, and a new restaurant bearing that name opened in the Norfolk town of Downham Market in 2008.
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