News
Moto's new Birch service area sets standards for the future
17 December 2004
The building is the most modern on the motorway network and promises customers enhanced levels of comfort and service as well as a range of fresh, cooked-to-order food.
Moto's managing director Brian Lotts said: "We are very proud of the new Birch service area. For the last 12 months we have done our best to provide customers with an acceptable level of service from temporary facilities, often in difficult circumstances, and I would like to say a personal thank you to all those customers who persevered with us.
"But now we have this brand new facility where the emphasis will be on freshness. And that means not just freshly cooked food and freshly cleaned loos but a fresh approach to customer care and service."
The glass-sided building means a light and airy environment in which drivers and their passengers can rest and relax and there is an outdoor picnic area for warmer days.
The Fresh Express restaurant will feature cooked-to-order pasta dishes, stir-fry dishes, pizza and hot-filled sandwiches as well as traditional favourites such as fish and chips and the all-day breakfast. A Burger King and retail shop selling pre-packed sandwiches will cater for those who want to eat on the move.
Mr Lotts added: "We are moving away from pre-cooked food that is kept warm until it’s ordered. The travelling public is becoming increasingly sophisticated and we have to change to meet their expectations. We believe this shift towards fresh food, freshly cooked in front of the customer will set the benchmark for the next generation of motorway service areas."
The new service area provides 242 car parking spaces, 120 LGV spaces and 30 coach spaces.
Jason New, aged 31, of Blackpool, is serving a three and half year prison sentence after pleading guilty to starting the fire that destroyed the old east-bound service area.
