Fish and chip shops adapt as temperatures soar towards 40°C

With temperatures forecast to reach 39°C in parts of the UK this week, fish and chip shop owners are facing the challenge of working through conditions that can feel even hotter behind the frying range.

While one Cheshire business has opted to close, most are adapting opening hours, adjusting menus and taking steps to keep staff comfortable, while expecting a drop in trade.

The Corner Fish & Chip Shop in Winsford announced on Facebook that it would close until 30th June due to the extreme temperatures, posting: “Sorry for any inconvenience caused. #toohottofry.”

Elsewhere, the overwhelming feeling from operators is that the heatwave is something to be managed rather than feared.

At The Cod’s Scallops in Nottingham, owner John Molnar expects business to be around 30% down across his four shops over the next few days as customers look for lighter food options or simply stay at home.

“Unless you’re on the coast, which will be absolutely buzzing, landlocked shops are going to struggle for the next three or four days, for sure,” he says.

To counter this, John has introduced a number of seasonal specials, including grilled lobster with garlic butter, dressed Cromer crab and a salted Biscoff cheesecake. He said: ”We’ve done those as lighter options and just to add a bit of point of difference.”

Staff welfare is also a priority and the quieter trading period has allowed shifts to be shortened and rotated, while air conditioning installed throughout the business is proving its worth. ”Even the pot wash room is air conditioned. When I was putting it in, I did think, is it needed in there? But now, yes, it really is,” said John. 

The company has also invested in blinds at its Wilford Lane shop to reduce heat build-up from large windows before service begins.

For Alastair Horabin, owner of Seniors, a chain of 10 takeaways across the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, the approach is much simpler. “It’s just a few hot days,” he said. “My phone says it’s going to rain in Blackpool Friday through to Tuesday.”

Alastair believes consistency is important and sees little value in closing for what is likely to be a short-lived spell of extreme weather. “Realistically, if we’re closed, someone else is open and we’re not in a privileged position to give up trade,” he said. 

The business is relying on natural ventilation, opening front and back doors during service, and making use of its relatively short opening hours – 11:30am to 2pm and 4:30pm to 8pm.

Like many operators, Alastair expects the weather to affect trade. He said: ”This weather kills trade. Both sides of the extremes, 35 degrees and minus five degrees are no good as everyone kind of retreats back to the house and hunkers down.”

Charlie Collins, owner of Frydales in Leicester, agrees that sales are likely to be down, but says the impact is usually manageable.

“It’s only a couple of days a year, so we’ll manage” he said. “We’ll do 30% less trade, but people will still come.”

Charlie also points out that closing is not always the popular option staff might imagine. “If I told the staff, ‘You’re not working today, it’s too hot’, they won’t go, ‘Thank you’. They’ll go, ‘Well, I’m not being paid.'”

Modern equipment is helping ease the pressure, with Frydales benefitting from a modern frying range and extraction system, which removes much of the heat generated during service. “It ‘ain’t going to be nice, but it ‘ain’t going to be horrendous either,” said Charlie. “If you’ve got a modern shop, modern equipment and you keep the door open, you should be alright for the time you are open.”

In Botley, Oxford, Ryan Harrison has opted for a more cautious approach, pushing back opening times at his takeaway, Harrison’s Fish & Chip Co, from 4pm to 6pm, closing at the usual time of 9pm.

He said: ”We don’t have air con in the shop, so it can get pretty uncomfortable so this way we should avoid the hottest part of the day. And I find it’s very quiet when it’s super hot as nobody really wants to come out and eat, so they will come out a little bit later on anyway.”

At The Scrap Box in York, owner Aman Dhesi says an air conditioning unit installed a couple of years ago has proved to be a worthwhile investment and that the focus this week is on keeping employees comfortable, with plenty of cold water available and staff encouraged to take breaks whenever they need them.

Aman expects the heat to have some impact on sales but believes other factors could help offset the loss.

“It’s got to affect it somewhat in terms of being too hot to eat, but it just means people come right at the end,” he said. “You’ve still got the football on, so people are still wanting a reason to come and get an easy takeaway.”

At Finney’s in Benllech, Anglesey, the response has been practical, with fans running in the shop, drink breaks encouraged and uniform rules relaxed.

Owner Carol Hulme said: ”On really hot days we go from a full apron to a half apron and sometimes no apron at all. That’s usually sufficient in keeping the team at an okay temperature.”

On the coast in Torquay, Devon, Lorraine Arnold at Pier Point Bar & Restaurant is seeing a slightly different pattern. While fish and chip sales have slowed during the day, other parts of the business are thriving.

She said: ”It is business as usual, but obviously this weather is not fish and chip weather. It’s too hot for them.

“It’s great for the restaurant side, the grilled fish, drinks and ice creams, which are a boom, but it ‘ain’t fish and chip weather. Although fish and chip sales do pick up later in the evening once temperatures begin to fall.”

Staff welfare measures include air conditioning throughout the restaurant, kitchen and kiosk, as well as free water, sun cream and hats for those working outside. Employees are regularly rotated between indoor and outdoor roles, while kitchen staff have been allowed to swap heavier uniforms for lightweight polo shirts.

For Lorraine, that ability to adapt is what matters most. She aded: ”It’ll be raining again before we know it. It’s just a matter of thinking outside the box and adapting along with it.”