Redbeck Motel: ‘I went to try the special breakfast before diner which hosted Tom Jones and Diana Ross closes’

Stars such as Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, and Diana Ross all stopped by in the 1970s and 80s due to Redbeck’s strong entertainment links with Batley Variety Club.

Redbeck had a roaring trade prior to lockdown, but since reopening footfall has been on the decline.

The owners are now closing Redbeck after five decades of running the business 24/7.

With Wakefield Council giving the go-ahead to developers to bulldoze the venue and build 90 new homes, we sent our reporter Sophie Mei Lan for one last visit.

Redbeck Motel is synonymous with cheap grub, a star-studded history, and being a favourite pitstop for commuters travelling along Doncaster Road in Wakefield.

There was an outpouring of grief locally when news of its closure was confirmed. While the closing date is still unknown, I wanted to have one last meal.

Redbeck Motel is a familiar site welcoming those to Wakefield, the city doesn’t need a sign as Redbeck Motel suffices, so you know where you are in Yorkshire.

There’s a large car, van, and lorry park next to the motel which has previously been used for touring big top circus tents, and fairgrounds. The motel itself still has its familiar blue and white signage and outdoor table and chairs.

I head inside to the large dining area with an old-fashioned canteen counter in front, a pinball machine, and a jukebox to my left. There are also separate areas for Al’s Bar and an outdoor children’s play area. For a roadside greasy spoon, it continues to remain clean and well-maintained.

Previously, I had a warm welcome; this time, I felt less warmth and more of a dismissal, as the staff were bickering about breaks.

The menu is huge, and I’m pleased that it remains a huge, old-fashioned, clearly labelled menu, unlike the new digital displayboards where I am forced to squint and guess from the images what I want.

I had three different staff take parts of my order, due to their discussion over breaks

For three adults and two children, including drinks, it came to just under £50. Prices are very reasonable for food nowadays. Most main meals cost £10.50, including a free pudding. There’s everything from spam sandwiches to jacket potatoes and kids' meals on offer. Most meals come with chips, and you can now order bread and butter for an extra 50p.

We ordered a vegetarian roast dinner, a burger and chips, a salad with spam, and the famous special breakfast as well as two baby meals.

After paying, I hovered at the counter because I couldn’t remember whether you were served here or at the table. I’m ushered by staff to wait for our drinks.

It’s self-service when it comes to the cutlery and condiments too.

It looked very similar to my senior school canteen. Within minutes of sitting down with our drinks we heard a yell. Someone was shouting that one of the dishes we had ordered was ready. I went to collect, and by the time I sat down again, there was another yell. It was unclear as to whether it was for us or not so I went to check, and the woman replied: “Does it look like it?”

This game of musical chairs continued until we got all our food. My friend and I giggled as it felt like we were in a sketch show. The cook would fling the meals out of the hatch and then a woman would yell, and we would scramble to see if it was ours. This was real-life Karen’s Diner.

The food really did look like large portions of school dinners. The food at Redbeck is noticeably not as aesthetic as previous times that I’d visited.

Perhaps we got them on a bad day? Or perhaps the focus is already on the closure of the place? The food reflected how fast it had been made. The vegetarian roast dinner included two scoops of mash, two Yorkshire puddings, peas, carrots and cabbage. The cabbage was nicely steamed whereas the other vegetables were overcooked.

The special breakfast included a rasher of bacon, a sausage, beans, half a slice of fried bread, two fried eggs, chopped tomatoes and chips. Everything had been thrown onto the plate. The quality of ingredients weren’t as good as I remembered but the eggs were cooked perfectly. I also enjoyed the cheap baked beans and chopped tomatoes. The main ‘special’ ingredient on the breakfast is the chips.

We were then given two bowls of crumble and custard because this was the free pudding on offer. Or for a slice of cake which looks like the Costco ones it was £3.75.

It used to be incredible value for money here, but sadly the quality has subsided.

The kids enjoyed running around outside and their mini roasts. While it wasn’t busy like I used to see, it was still an interesting snapshot seeing some of the motorists who pass through from people in high vis working in construction to bikers, and regulars who live locally.

Be rest assured though, you can still get a cheap room, hearty grub, and/or parking for a reasonable rate. I do believe that now more than ever we need to utilise independent businesses rather than just share memories, get out and visit ‘for old time’s sake.’