BIG INTERVIEW: KRISPIES’ BIG CHARITY CHALLENGE

On Saturday, Krispies in Devon, run by Kelly and Tim Barnes, set out to raise £25,000 by selling £5 fish and chips across its shops in Exeter and Exmouth to celebrate 25 years in business. Did they do it? Kelly reveals all, sharing how the idea came about, what it took to pull it off and how the day unfolded

First of all, how did the Saturday go?

Amazing. It was absolutely incredible, better than I ever expected. The energy, the support, the team, the customers, it was just one of those days where everything came together. We opened the doors at 12 noon and by 7pm, we’d had to stop accepting walk-ins because we were sold out on pre-orders. The very last customer was served bang on 9 o’clock in both shops.

What time did your day start?

I was in at 7am with my kids to finish the last bit of fish prep and the rest of the team started arriving from 9am in staggered shifts. Some did seven hours, others were in for the full 14-hour marathon. It was a proper team effort from start to finish.

How did this whole idea come about?

It actually started last October. I dragged my marketing consultant out of retirement and said, “Right, it’s our 25th anniversary and we’ve got to do something big.” Since the pandemic, a lot of businesses have been in survival mode – us included – and fundraising had to take a backseat. But charity and community have always been at the heart of Krispies. We knew it was time to do something meaningful again, and this felt like the perfect way to give back.

What did the planning involve?

It really got going in January. We had brainstorming sessions through the first few months of the year, bouncing ideas around, and to be honest, there were some wild ones, including celebrity appearances! But in the end, we settled on a model that had worked for us about 10 years ago: a charity day with reduced-price fish and chips. Back then, we did fish and chips for £3! We knew we had to scale it up though. So that meant suppliers, staff, logistics, and, crucially, getting the word out.

How did you promote the event?

Mainly on social media. In fact, it really opened my eyes to the power of social media because we tried traditional media – we reached out to the BBC, ITV, local press – and got barely anything. But our social media consultant was phenomenal. She put out videos that were getting up to 90,000 views in the run-up. Schools helped out too, sharing it in newsletters, and we emailed over 100 local businesses in Exeter and Exmouth. It turned into a real community event. The buzz was amazing.

What about your suppliers, did they help?

They were absolutely incredible. Without them, we never would have reached the £25,000 mark and, in fact, I would never have put that figure into the public domain. I would have said 2,500 portions across both shops or something more manageable. With their support, I felt that figure was achieveable, so I would like to say a huge thank you to Friars Pride, Smales, T.Quality, SJB Foods – a Devon-based company – Mitchell’s Potatoes, Ceres and KFE.

How do you physically get ready to serve 5,000 portions of fish and chips in a day?

That’s a funny question as I am known for this – and Tim will agree – I say yes to things without thinking through the logistics. So I didn’t think about how we were going to cut 2,500 portions of fish at each shop until nearer the time! What happened was we had most of our deliveries on the Friday and fish prep started early. We used smaller 3-5 oz fillets, cut semi-frozen and stored in our fridges ready to defrost just in time. We had 1,900 portions stored per shop, and the rest was cut Saturday morning. We then left three cases at each shop, just in case we needed more. Potato prep was insane. One guy cut potatoes for nine hours straight in Exeter because we didn’t have enough barrels. Curry sauce and mushy peas started getting made on the Wednesday before. Even the boxes, we began making them on Tuesday. At Exeter, where there’s less storage, we had delivery drivers folding boxes all Saturday afternoon. The prep took the best part of a week, and then on the day, Tim and I split our time across both stores so I started in Exmouth and then we swapped over, had a quick peck on the cheek and a photo, and were off again.

How did the actual day play out?

It was like a busy Friday night but for nine hours straight. We had queues round the block from 12, a bit of a lull mid-afternoon, then it took off again from about 4pm until closing at 9pm. The tills went down twice and the card machines crashed the internet at 6.30pm but the team didn’t falter. We just kept going. There was even a guy playing the ukulele in the shop at one point, with the staff singing along. It was joyful. Exhausting, but joyful.

How did you get your staff to buy into something like this?

Some of them didn’t get a choice, like my kids! But seriously, a lot of my long-standing team were completely on board. Sharon has been with me 16 years, Tracy for eight. Others have only been with us a few months and were a little harder to convince, but I think when staff feel supported and part of something, they step up. All in all, we had 25 staff who volunteered their time, some for a few hours, others for the full day. Someone said to me they wouldn’t do that if they didn’t feel invested in, and I agree. Plus, I think it’s teaching the staff that kindness goes a long way. They are not doing it for me, they’re actually donating their time to a charity.

What did you personally take away from the day?

That I’m never doing it again. That I’m not as young as I was 10 years ago when we did this! But seriously, it reminded me why we do what we do. I was a lot more emotional than I expected. Seeing the queue at the door really got me. Times are tough, and people still chose to support us and the charity and that meant everything. Paula from Headsup, the charity we did this all for, was speechless when I told her we’d hit £8,000 in pre-orders alone before we even opened. Later that night, she said she’d never seen a team work like ours. I always say it’s like ballet – if you put the right people in the right places, it’s beautiful to watch.

What advice would you give to other businesses looking to mark a milestone like this?

Plan it, don’t rush. Look at every detail, especially costs, and get your team on board early. Talk to them, prep them, build that buzz. And use social media. Treat it like the community event it should be, not just a sales opportunity. People respond to that authenticity.

The big question: did you hit £25,000?

I’m pretty sure we did. There are still a couple of charity pots to be counted – people just chucked in notes on the day – but I think we’ll get there, if not go over. Whatever the total, though, it was an unforgettable day, and I’m beyond proud of what we all achieved.