Wimpy News

With immediate effect (20 March) Wimpy is to temporarily close all seating areas in its restaurants and focus solely on providing home delivery services and takeaway options at some of its restaurants.

Customers can order for home delivery directly from one of Wimpy’s approved delivery partners – JustEat, UberEats or Deliveroo.

In addition, some restaurants will be offering their own local home delivery service.

Some Wimpys may continue to offer a takeaway service and customers are invited to call and check before leaving home.

Chris Woolfenden, General Manager, Wimpy UK, said: “These are unprecedented and fast-moving times and the health and safety of our customers, our franchisees and their employees must be our top priority.

“We believe that by focusing on these new measures, we will at least be able to continue to deliver to our customers and support our Wimpy franchisees and their staff to the best of our ability. In order to meet the demand for home delivery and takeaway, our restaurants will remain open for as long as it is safe to do so or until we are advised otherwise by the Government.”

The restaurant has already introduced strict guidelines on social distancing to protect both customers and staff, together with stringent health and hygiene measures.

Around 65% of the 67-strong Wimpy estate restaurants now offer home delivery services.

Wimpy UK has launched its first ever staff reward scheme, recognising the achievements of staff employed across its 69 restaurants nationwide.

Wimpy Icons rewards special success in four categories: Ability & Skill; Behaviour & Attitude; Customer Care; and Moments That Matter.

Each month Wimpy employees, from kitchen staff to front-of-house, will be eligible to be nominated for an award by their manager. If they win, they will be given a unique pin badge to wear which reflects their success, as well as a £50 voucher of their choosing.

Wimpy General Manager, Chris Woolfenden, said: “This November, we are excited to launch a scheme that allows all restaurant staff the opportunity to be rewarded by the Wimpy brand and literally wear their achievements with pride.

“Our new scheme will be an ongoing campaign that we believe will help make all Wimpy employees feel valued, no matter what their role.”

Wimpy Basingstoke has become the first Wimpy in the country to introduce at-your-seat USB charging points following a major refurbishment programme.

The restaurant re-opened its doors at the beginning of September having adopted Wimpy UK’s new Shift Design, which builds on the brand’s strong heritage and much-loved traditions.

The 100-seater restaurant, in the town’s Festival Place Shopping Centre, now features bright new colours, with smartly-styled booths and benches, plus a new-look outside seating area.

A streamlined till system has also been introduced to help speed up ordering times, while energy efficient lighting helps improve the restaurant’s sustainability credentials.

Sauce lovers are in for a treat as Wimpy launches its iconic own-brand Wimpy Special Sauce and Wimpy Tomato Ketchup onto the retail market for the first time. The 500ml bottles are available to buy in the majority of Wimpy restaurants this year.

Wimpy General Manager, Chris Woolfenden, said: “Our Special Sauce and Ketchup have added the proverbial ‘icing on the cake’ to our breakfasts, burgers and grills for decades. Customers are always asking why they can’t buy a bottle and we finally decided it was time offer them as an early Christmas treat.

“We love the fact we’re extending the Wimpy brand into peoples’ homes and believe that with such a great heritage behind us, we’ll soon be a kitchen staple, giving everyone the chance to enjoy a taste of Wimpy whenever they want to.”

Launched in 1989 with a secret recipe, over 25,000 litres of Wimpy Special Sauce are used in the UK’s casual dining chain restaurants every year, while Wimpy Tomato Ketchup has been a true family favourite since day one, with more than 35,000 litres used in Wimpy’s UK restaurants every year.

Wimpy UK has raised an impressive £10,000 for Mind, the leading mental health charity in England and Wales.

Over the last 12 months, Wimpy restaurants and staff nationwide have waved their collection tins, organised sponsored events and even donated their tips to add to the total.

And last autumn, a Wimpy team from head office, plus franchisees and their employees got down and dirty by taking part in a Tough Mudder challenge.

Chris Woolfenden, Wimpy UK General Manager, said: “We have been very pleased and impressed with the lengths some of our franchisees and their teams have gone to, to raise money for Mind.

“Many congratulations and thanks to all those who have contributed to this great cause. We know that every penny raised makes a real difference and we feel especially proud to have been involved in a project which is close to the hearts of so many of our own people and the communities in which we operate.”

Wimpy chose to fundraise for Mind after franchisees and staff voted to support the charity, which helps support those with mental health problems. The money will help to fund Mind’s activities, including the Mind Infoline, information and advice services, and its campaigning to ensure everyone who has a mental health problem gets support and respect.

All own label Wimpy products and all shell eggs supplied through the Wimpy distribution channel are now free range.  Wimpy further committed to switching to cage-free alternatives on the remaining small number of non-own label products that contain egg ingredients on its menu. This will be in place by 2025 at the latest but continues to work closely with its third party suppliers in order to achieve this change at the earliest opportunity.