Lizzie Wood - Freelance Journalist

Wimpy - Newmarket

'Don’t get me wrong, this is not a diet you should enjoy on a regular basis, but each option has its nutritional statistics clearly defined, and the burgers come in a wholemeal bun – you don’t even get a choice.'

From reading the title of this review, you may already be thinking fast food, American style burger bar, and greasy, calorific food; and to a certain extent, you’d be right. However, if you haven’t visited a Wimpy Bar since the 1980s, next time you fancy a quick fix, you should think about stepping inside.

It’s a restaurant that enjoyed its heyday many decades ago, before losing out to the more successful McDonalds, which benefited from the ultimate in lazy eating: drive-thru ordering; and many of its restaurants were replaced by the more popular and flourishing Burger King. However, some franchises survived, and if you succeed in finding an unassuming town centre, you may well find a Wimpy. Indeed, the chain is currently undergoing something of a revival, with a concerted effort to bring the brand into the 21st Century.

This isn’t immediately obvious if you visit the Newmarket chain, and that’s something I’m glad about. Hauling back the heavy swing door to enter the restaurant, you’re suddenly transported into a scene from Grease – the waitress (they have table service here) even has a pink striped apron hanging from her neck. The essence of the restaurant is old-style American Diner – it’s just missing the juke box and retro caddy couch.

The modernisation of the restaurant is, however, evident in the menu. It’s clear that the people in charge have done their research, and are well aware that what people want is healthy, nutritional food. So if you were thinking greasy and calorific, you’d be mistaken. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a diet you should enjoy on a regular basis, but each option has its nutritional statistics clearly defined, and the burgers come in a wholemeal bun – you don’t even get a choice. There is plenty of choice in the menu, however: you can choose between jacket potatoes (clearly this is stepping outside McDonald’s territory), salads, sandwiches and the more traditional hamburgers, which include the bizarrely named ‘Bender in a Bun’ – a pork frankfurter curled to fit neatly inside the wholemeal bap. There’s also a wide variety of choice for breakfast and dessert, and you don’t have to have the regular fizzy drinks to accompany your meal – you can also have a fresh fruit smoothie.

All the food is cooked to order, so although it may not be ’fresh’ (or seasonal, or locally produced – this is a fast food joint don’t forget), it doesn’t sit on the counter waiting for someone to order it, and the wait is only two minutes – far less than the time I endured in Burger King, waiting for a burger of inferior quality. Although you can take away, it’s more than worth hanging around to finish your meal one of the Formica tables, if only to enjoy the attentive and unexpected table service.

So, next time you’re in Newmarket and are thinking about crossing over the road to visit the KFC, don’t: stick around and enjoy your fast food Wimpy style.