A standout year

As Glen Morrison of Garioch Fish Bar in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, nears the end of his time as Drywite Young Fish Frier, he looks back on a busy and rewarding year

Standing at the fryer with the Drywite trophy next to me and seeing all the regular customers coming in has been such a good feeling. We’ve become busier and busier as the year has gone on, with more people trying us after hearing about my win on social media, in the local press, and on the radio. We’ve even had people travelling 45 minutes, sometimes an hour, just for our fish and chips, so the whole year has been really positive for us.

The award has pushed us to make changes in the shop as well. We’ve updated our website and changed our till system, and it’s made everything far more efficient. As the fryer, I now only see the items I need to see, and I can prioritise orders over those that might be collected in 45 minutes, for example.  Long term, it’s going to make a big difference to how smoothly things run.

It hasn’t been an easy year across the industry though. Fish prices have increased, wages have gone up, and we’ve had to tighten things where we can. We’ve narrowed down shifts, and the till system helps with that too. It gives hour-by-hour sales, so you can see when you actually need staff on. We’ve also been running small promotions, things like hake and chips for £5, or giving out free dips with chicken to push sales of chicken where the margins are better. It’s just little adjustments, but they all help keep things ticking over.

Personally, it’s been one of the best years I’ve had. One of the highlights was getting a phone call from Amanda Holden on Heart Radio. That was quite surreal. It was on National Fish and Chip Day, and they were doing a “world’s best” competition. She phoned at seven o’clock in the morning and was trying to guess my job. All I could say was yes and no. It was good fun and something I’ll remember forever.

Winning a Fry Top 50 Award again this year was another massive moment. That was the first award our shop ever won. I remember my dad wanting to put the logo on the chest of our uniform, and I said no, put it on the sleeve instead, because every year I want to add another logo going down the arm. We’re on five now, so we’re slowly making it!

Winning Drywite Young Fish Frier has also made me realise how hard running a shop really is. I came into my dad’s business in a pretty fortunate position. All I was focused on was frying and improving things like the batter every day. I was completely fixated on that one thing. This year, seeing issues like fish prices rising has made me realise just how tough the whole picture is.

With that in mind, I’m trying to future-proof the business as much as I can. When something needs to change, I want us to be able to do it quickly, almost overnight, rather than it taking months. Whether it’s changing the menu or adapting to something new, being able to react fast is really important.

Before I wrap up, I’d like to wish the Drywite Young Fish Frier finalists good luck and say stay calm until the day comes. You’ve done everything you can now. If you do win, firstly, put the trophy right at the front of the shop where customers can see it and, secondly, keep going. Don’t think you’ve cracked it. I was delighted to win, but I’m still trying to make the shop better and better. And, don’t worry if you don’t win either. The year I didn’t win, I still had a fantastic year because of the opportunities available just for being involved in the competition.