A monster effort

Implementing changes in an established business isn’t easy, as the new owners of Monster Fish & Chips in Fort Augustus, in the Scottish Highlands, found out. However, they pushed through, delivering improvements and are already winning awards

Daniel and Claire Sandham didn’t set out to reinvent fish and chips when they took on Monster Fish & Chips. What they saw was an established business in a prime location that wasn’t reaching its potential and an opportunity to raise standards.

Set at the southern end of Loch Ness, the site is hard to miss. Positioned directly by the main car park, it benefits from heavy seasonal footfall, particularly in summer when coaches arrive in mass. “It’s in the perfect location,” says Daniel. “It used to be a tourist information centre so we’re in the main car park and in the summer you can get 20–30 coaches every day, and we’re the first place people walk past. We knew the way that Fort Augustus is, that we were going to make money, it just needed improving so we could give tourists the best experience of fish and chips that we could. For a lot of them, it’s the first time they’ve tried fish and chips.”

Significant change

That confidence was quickly evident in the numbers. In December, the shop took around £20,000 and by August, at the height of the tourist season, that figure had climbed to £127,000. But while the location was a clear advantage, the business itself required significant change and that proved more difficult than expected.

Daniel and Claire, who took over the shop in 2024, were already familiar with the area. Like many locals, however, they hadn’t been regular customers. “All the time the chippy had been there, we’d never used it,” Claire admits. “It’s a small village, and a lot of people didn’t go there because of the staff, they didn’t really care about what they were doing.”

That became even more apparent after the takeover when the couple inherited the existing team and saw how they were working. “We knew what we wanted to implement and how we wanted to improve things, but there was massive resistance,” explains Daniel. “Staff would say, ‘Well, we’ve been here longer. We know, we always did it this way.’ There was a lot of pushback.”

Even relatively small changes proved difficult to implement, for example, making the batter and having it cold all the time. “We’d say we want 10 level scoops, and they’d say, ‘Well, I’m doing seven heaped ones.’ Little things like keeping your fish batter cold – they’d just leave it on the range. Every time we’d have to say, ‘Can you put it in the fridge?’ It was hard work.”

The same went for other areas of the business. Potatoes were poorly stored, leading to waste. Chips were prepared without any real process, going straight from water into the fryer, introducing excess moisture into the oil and affecting quality and efficiency.

“The processes just weren’t correct,” Daniel says. “They didn’t have a scrap bin, so all the scraps just went in the normal bin, which is a massive fire hazard.”

For much of 2024, the approach was to make gradual changes where possible while keeping the business running. “We said 2024 was really just trying to make some money, just to get the ball rolling,” Claire explains.

However, it became clear that bigger was needed. The shop closed on Christmas Eve 2024, with plans to reopen in February, however, that reopening was delayed until March as further changes were made, including the installation of a new frying range and a switch to pre-cut chips to improve consistency.

At the same time, circumstances shifted internally. “During that time, the two staff who were causing the most resistance handed in their notices, which was the best thing to ever happen,” Daniel says.

That created the opportunity for a clean start in 2025, with Daniel adding: “We had the fresh start that we wished we had in 2024. Actually, we had a year’s worth of experience and learning, which was probably a good thing. We weren’t going into it completely blind.”

With a new team in place, Daniel and Claire were able to implement the systems and standards they had originally planned. “When you look at 2024 and you look at now, every process has been completely changed,” Daniel says.

Batter preparation is now tightly controlled with chilled water stored in a fridge and mixed in small batches and consistency checked using a flow cup. “Before, staff were just mixing up any quantities by eye. It was like wallpaper paste and left out at room temperature all day.” Likewise, chips are now pre-cut and cooked to set blanching and finishing times, removing variability and improving efficiency.

Simple menu

Despite the operational overhaul, the menu has remained small and simple with haddock supplemented with scampi, sausages, black pudding, haggis, red pudding, white pudding, smoked sausage and king rib.  “We’re massively touristy,” explains Daniel. “People just want fish and chips. Probably 98% of what we sell is haddock, so I don’t think it would be worth the time to bring in any different fish.”

Instead, the focus has been on quality and provenance. The shop uses fresh Scottish haddock sourced from Peterhead, around two hours away, and proactively engages with customers. Daniel adds: “We push the provenance of the fish on the website and on a little chalkboard naming the fishing boat. People love to see where it’s come from.”

Portioning is also standardised, with a single fish size of 7–8oz helping to maintain consistency in both cooking and pricing.

While tourism drives the business, rebuilding trust with local customers has been a key objective. “We really want to up the turnover during the winter months and be somewhere people come back to,” Daniel says.

That shift is already happening with The Monster Fish & Chips gradually attracting more locals every night now. “We’ve got a loyalty card as well, so every time you buy a supper, you collect a stamp, and once you collect 10, you get one free. We’re beginning to see those redeemed,” says Claire. 

The progress hasn’t gone unnoticed with the takeaway picking up three industry accolades already: The NFFF Quality Award, Newcomer of the Year at The National Fish & Chip Awards 2026 and a Fry 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaway Award 2026.

Source of support

For Daniel, the wider industry has also been a source of support and points to guidance from experienced operators as an important factor in the shop’s success. “We absolutely love the fish and chip industry,” he says. “Everybody is so friendly, so kind and helpful and willing to share knowledge. Nothing’s a secret.”

Building on the momentum, the couple have recently expanded into the neighbouring unit, converting a former store room into a sandwich shop. Opened just weeks ago, the new venture presented a different challenge, as Claire explains: “With the chippy, it was an existing business we improved. The sandwich shop is completely from scratch, so the processes aren’t there, we’ve had to make them.” 

However, it’s working and the business complements the fish and chip takeaway and broadens the offering to passing trade. “Not everybody getting off those coaches wants fish and chips,” Daniel says. “They might want to grab a quick sandwich, so we’ve got something for everyone.”

The same principles apply here as they do in the chippy – keep it simple, control the process and focus on quality. “All our cakes are homemade, the sandwich fillings are homemade. We just want to serve the best we can,” adds Claire. 

Further improvement is already in the pipeline, including full team training at KFE’s School of Frying Excellence to align skills and standards across the business. “There’s always room for improvement,” Daniel says. “It’s about sharpening things up.”

For now, the focus remains on consistency, maintaining standards and continuing to build both tourist and local trade. “I hope we have the chippy forever,” adds Daniel. “Fish and chips isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. As long as we’ve got the tourists coming in, and we do things right on our side, we’ll be okay.”