the diner chain beatles connection
Pete Shotton's story.
The UK, like the US, has a bunch of chain restaurants competing for the casual dining market. The more snobbish among us may detest such places - not to mention the ubiquitous food police like the CSPI - nevertheless, their rapid growth over the past two decades certainly suggests that they are popular.
The first British restaurant chain to offer casual dining was Fatty Arbuckle’s American Diner. Amazingly, even though Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle’s image did appear on later versions of their logo, the restaurant was not initially named for him. Apparently, referring to someone as a “Fatty Arbuckle” was simply Liverpool slang. The founder of the chain wasn’t even aware of the actor/director/comedian (who is remembered in history as the victim of one of the bigger miscarriages of justice in American law) at the time he opened his first shop. Not unlike the former Kentucky Fried Chicken, Fatty Arbuckle’s has changed its name to something that doesn’t emphasize the less desirable aspects of its product - now the chain is known simply as Arbuckle’s.
The founder of Arbuckle’s, Pete Shotton, was inspired to found his chain after making several business trips to the United States. At the time, England had no diners or diner-esque restaurants. As Shotton said “Going to restaurants in England was something you planned six months in advance, and when you were there everyone spoke in whispers.”
So, why was Pete Shotton making regular trips to America? As a teenager, he was in a folk band with his school mates. Two of his fellow band members went on to some fame and fortune and hired Shotton to manage the clothing store they founded as part of their new corporation. That store was the Apple Boutique, and the two men were John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Shotton later spent several years as Lennon’s personal assistant. Eventually, as a result of the emergence of Yoko Ono in Lennon’s life, Shotton left the Beatles universe and started a few businesses - ultimately choosing restaurants.
So, the next time you’re somewhere in England and want to spend an hour pretending you’re in America, stop into an Arbuckle’s and thank John Lennon.
10.11.2003 © ljr