Fatty Arbuckle's
Fatty Arbuckle's American Diners was an American themed restaurant chain in the United Kingdom. The business, based in Manchester, 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 and demise
The chain, which saw two thirds of all restaurants operated by franchisees, had grown to more than thirty 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, Feltham in West London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Canterbury, Chester, Oxford, Rhyl, Manchester, Warrington, Salford Quays, Liverpool, Bradford, Bedford, Milton Keynes, Belfast, Winchester, Wigan, Stoke-on-Trent, Poole, Southampton, Dundee, Shrewsbury, Southsea, Teesside Bristol, Ipswich, Newport, Morecambe, and Grimsby. By the beginning of the 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. In 2017, a new store was opened in Ely, on the leisure park. In 2018, the business became owned by an employee ownership trust, meaning it is now owned by its employees.
