It's passed into memory now, but Greater Manchester's Taybarns once had customers queuing around the block to eat there. Many will remember one of the biggest attractions of Taybarns' food - that there was lots of it.
Giving families a slice, or rather a huge helping of buffet heaven, the first Taybarns branch opened in Swansea in December 2007. Other restaurants soon followed in Barnsley, Coventry, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Gateshead, South Shields - and in Wigan.
Customers would be greeted by the Taybarns bright orange and green logo before heading inside to sit at one of the many tables and booths.
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Taybarns customers paid for their food on arrival and ate as much as they could from buffet counters. There was no limit on how many plates you could have, the only restriction was the time - and people really did pile their plates high.
Customers could enjoy anything from soup, salads and curries to pasta, burger and chips, pizza and more. If you fancied something sweet, you could also head to the dessert stations.
Many across Greater Manchester will remember the Wigan Branch on Warrington Road, which was one of the first buildings visitors to Wigan would see coming off the M6. In July 2009, The Guardian reported how Taybarns Wigan had been open a year and in that time served more meals - 330,000 - than the population of the town - 300,000.
"The sign outside tells customers what to do once they have parted with their £7.99 (£5.99 before 5pm). 'Grab a plate, help yourself, help yourself again.' The folk of Wigan oblige, with 750 of them through the door by 7.30pm," The Guardian reported.
The article described customers queueing round the block, despite the recession, with the giant 150ft buffet bar displaying 'the staples of family food – a carvery, roast chicken, burgers, pizza, Bakewell and treacle tarts'.
Do you remember Taybarns in Wigan? Let us know in the comments section below.
The same year, the BBC reported how Taybarns operations director Simon Ewins put the success of the business down to quality and value, saying: "We offer quality family food at a really good price, and it's helped Taybarns succeed where others have failed." Adults at the time paid between £5.99 and £8.49.
But, as popular as the chain was in Greater Manchester, it did face criticism. In 2010, the MEN reported how the Taybarns in Wigan was made over into an American-style diner, but faced calls to tone it down after claims the orange paint job was "more suitable for the Teletubbies."
Designers had transformed the Marus Bridge restaurant's exterior from brick and wooden panelling to bright orange cladding, but two Wigan councillors, father and son Bill and Gary Wilkes, felt it created the 'wrong impression,' as the restaurant was one of the first buildings visitors to Wigan see as they leave the M6.
Cllr Gary Wilkes said: "It looks like somewhere Tinky Winky would live."
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"This is a very important way into Wigan for thousands of people," he added. "If you are coming for the first time you could end up thinking that is what our borough is all about.
"I have been to America and I love the place. But I don't want to see their tastes in buildings here and in such an important location.
"Perhaps it would be appropriate in Teletubby Land or even in the States. But I will not support a building that appears to have been attacked by the Tango man."
Whitbread was told to apply for retrospective planning permission for the alterations to the cladding and a single-storey extension at the back. The company said at the time it had a number of restaurants across the country 'in the brand colour orange' and that they had been 'well received', adding: Our planning consultants are working with the authorities to find an acceptable solution for all."
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In 2016, Taybarns parent company made the decision to retire the Taybarns brand and convert the restaurants - including the one in Wigan - into branches of Brewers Fayre.
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