After two successful seasons, Frymax is bringing its Fry to the Max competition back for a third year, giving two more operators the opportunity to win a Frymax Ambassador visit for their business.
The purpose of the visit is not to tell operators how to run their businesses, but to look at where practices or processes can be improved. Ambassadors will ultimately be guided by the shop owner, but on previous visits they have helped review preparation, portion control, customer service, oil management and menu options, providing hints, tips and ideas that could improve efficiency, generate savings and increase the bottom line.
Four shops have already benefited from a Frymax Ambassador visit, one of these being Nick Lomvardos, owner of Bishopston Fish Bar, who welcomed Zohaib Hussain to his fish and chip takeaway in Bristol. Zohaib reviewed Nick’s oil routine, temperature control and frying process, and suggested adjusting temperatures during quieter periods. Taking it on board, Nick said: “It makes the oil last a lot longer, which is so important at the moment with prices of everything rising.”
For winner Robert Hawes, owner of Jolly Friar in Alford, Lincolnshire, it was more a case of having a reassuring eye look over the business when he won a visit from Frymax Ambassador Des Anastasiou. Robert said: “We’ve got a system that we use for oil management, which we’ve always used. Des echoed it and said it was the way he’d do it if he were in a shop of this size. He seemed to think I’d got everything nailed and that we operate very efficiently, which is encouraging.”
Marco Leotta, owner of Macari’s, was left inspired after a visit from Frymax Ambassador Nigel Hodgson to his takeaway in Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde. Marco said: “It was a fantastic day. Nigel has a huge amount of knowledge and experience. He’s given me so many useful tools, from website and supplier recommendations to different product ideas. His knowledge is unparalleled. It made me think in a whole new way.”
The final winner, Liam Brown of Mike’s Famous Fish & Chips in Blackburn, West Lothian, hosted Frymax Ambassador Colin Cromar who went through oil management, filtration, potato prep and frying practices. Liam said: “It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the trade, you should always be improving. The best way to do that is by bouncing ideas off people with real experience.”
On bringing Fry to the Max back for a third time, Andrew Marriott, Frymax brand manager, said: “We are really excited to offer two more friers the expert knowledge of our ambassadors. We had such positive feedback from the previous four winners on the knowledge that was shared, and even the opportunity to chat to someone outside of the business, that we had to bring it back. So if you’re looking to uncover new efficiencies or refine a method you think could be improved, enter today!”
Entry is via Fry Magazine’s social media pages or e-mail, and all UK fish and chip shops are eligible to enter, regardless of size, turnover, region or products used. Entry opens on 14th May and will remain open until 30th June. Two winners will be selected at random with ambassador visits taking place within three months of the announcement.
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