The Elite Fish & Chip Company in Lincolnshire continues into its third generation as owner Adrian Tweedale passes the baton to his daughter Rachel
Good Friday is always one of the busiest days of the year for fish and chip shops, and 2025 was no exception. But for Adrian Tweedale, owner of The Elite Fish & Chip Company in Lincolnshire, this year’s Good Friday carried extra significance. After 45 Good Fridays on the restaurant floor, Adrian announced he was handing the reins to his daughter, Rachel.
“I did Good Friday and I thought to myself, this is the one now,” he says. “I’ve done it for so long and I love it, but because we’ve had so much transformation throughout the whole company moving forward – we’ve had all sorts of different technologies put into place – I’ve got to move away. It’s time.”
Delivering potatoes
The Elite Fish & Chip Company’s story began in 1972 when Adrian’s father made the leap from delivering potatoes to owning a fish and chip shop in Huddersfield. Adrian joined the business in 1979, and over the next decade, the family operated two takeaways.
In 1988, the family relocated to Lincolnshire after Adrian’s brother, stationed at RAF Cranwell, found a promising site in Ruskington. “We decided that we would have a completely different change of outlook so we upped sticks and left,” he says.
Their plan was modest – to build a strong single shop. However, after a major £75,000 investment in 1990, business at the takeaway and restaurant boomed. “Three months later, we were turning over twice as much. It were like, what’s going on here?” Adrian recalls.
Further success followed when Adrian won Fish and Chip Shop of the Year in 1992, putting the Ruskington site firmly on the map. “It went crazy,” says Adrian. “I’ve never experienced or seen anything since like it. A little village of Ruskington with a population of 5,000 — and people were coming from literally all over the country.”
Expansion followed with equally busy restaurants at Tritton Road, Sleaford and Bailgate, the latter opening just before Covid. At the heart of all four businesses has been the same philosophy. “We are a family business and that’s how we built our trade,” says Adrian. “That and the fact that we always buy quality. We do not ever, ever, ever deviate from that. The main core of our business is fish and chips — and always will be.”
Involved in the business from the young age of 12, Adrian became a partner when he was 21 and then in 2001, Adrian’s father officially handed the business to him. Even after stepping back, his father remained deeply interested, continuing to check in regularly on the progress of all four sites until his passing four years ago at the age of 83.
Innovation
Throughout his career, Adrian has embraced innovation, from upgrading frying ranges to introducing eco-friendly packaging and employee welfare schemes. It was something he learned from his father, adding: ”I remember going to a trade show with my father and we saw the first IMC chipper – the one that we all use now. My dad bought it off the stand there and then. Chipping a bag of spuds in 60 seconds was something back then.”
As well as innovation, Adrian had an eye for marketing and when he won Fish and Chip Shop of the Year in 1992, he invested in an extensive radio advertising campaign that spanned 15 years. “It got the name Elite into everybody’s mind and it’s one of the reasons we have been so successful,” he explains.
Much like the seamless handover from Adrian’s father to him, Rachel’s transition into leadership has been a natural step too. She joined the business at 16, although Adrian acknowledges that since winning the Drywite Young Fish Frier in 2015, Rachel has taken on an increasingly progressive role in shaping its future.
“The last two years have felt like a practice run for this day,” says Adrian. “In fact, when I go to the units now, which isn’t as often as I used to, I don’t know a lot of the staff because it’s Rachel’s thing now,” he comments.
Rachel has spent the last 20 years learning from her dad and her grandfather, and Adrian believes she is well-placed to take Elite forward, noting in particular her natural ability to take responsibility and make decisions. “If I talk about Rachel in the business sense rather than as my daughter, she is something special,” he says. “She’s got the spark, and she knows what she’s doing inside out. She takes things in her stride and she’s got so many new ideas. She’ll still ask me my opinion, but I always say to her, ‘If your opinion is that you want to do it, I will support you 100% – as long as you give it 100%. Even if it fails, at least we tried.’”
Rachel has already made her mark by spearheading technology upgrades, including a new till and stock control system that dramatically cuts wastage and improves profitability. “Once everything’s signed, sealed and delivered properly, we’ll literally be able to tell you what every single unit has taken in the last five minutes or how many pea cartons there should be at Tritton Road. It’s amazing stuff.”
Supporting Rachel in running The Elite is Adrian’s wife Elizabeth who joined the business in July 2020, taking control of HR. For Adrian, passing the business to family members carries deep emotional meaning. Had he not had someone to hand it down to, it would have been a much more difficult decision, explaining: “I probably would have just carried on running it under managers, then sold out to some organisation in the future. But the legacy now carries on. From where we started, from what our ambitions were, The Elite has totally changed to something that we’re all really proud of.”
Having Rachel in charge of the day-to-day running of the business is an outcome that Adrian knows his late father would be thrilled about. “He’d be over the moon because Rachel and my father were very, very close. I can see him, wherever he is now, looking down on all of us and saying, ‘Well done, son, don’t worry about anything. She’ll carry it on.’”
As for Adrian, whilst stepping back is a welcome move, he admits it won’t be easy. “I’ll still visit the units spasmodically, but I won’t be making judgments or decisions day-to-day. I’ve been in this job all my life, I don’t know anything else so I will always keep my support and my eye on Rachel, like my dad did for me.”
Ultimately, Adrian feels a profound sense of relief and excitement. “The weight’s been lifted off my shoulders. I’m glad that Rachel decided that she wanted to progress with the Elite and I look forward to seeing where she takes it.” Adrain would like to see The Elite expand into a site that offers everything – a restaurant, takeaway and a drive-thru – but, of course, it is in Rachel’s hands now.
When it comes to building a successful family business, Adrian believes communication is key. Beyond just shared experience, it’s the values passed down through generations that make the difference. While Adrian benefited from his father’s guidance, Rachel has had the rare advantage of learning from both her dad and grandfather – something Adrian sees as a solid foundation for the future. “I was very fortunate – my parents and I always got on,” he reflects. “Sure, we had the odd disagreement, but nothing major because I’ve always said, ‘I’ll respect your opinion, even if I don’t agree with it’. That’s where people often go wrong – they fall out over differences.”
Rachel, having been immersed in the business from a young age, has absorbed these core principles. “They are the ingredients of a successful family business,” concludes Adrian. “It’s like baking a cake. If you’ve got the right ingredients from the start, it will always work.”
