Fish and chip shops across the UK are preparing for one of the most important weekends of the year as Easter offers a vital opportunity to boost trade in the face of rising operating costs.
With the price of fish climbing and the increases in both NICs and the minimum wage, many in the industry hope a busy Easter will provide some financial breathing room. This year, they may be in luck as the weather forecast is favourable with sunny spells, and that can make all the difference.
George Morey, manager at Knights Fish Restaurant in Glastonbury, Somerset, comments: “The Easter weekend is the second busiest time for us after the August bank holiday,” said. “Because we’re a bit traditional and a community staple, we certainly see a massive surge in orders.”
Last year, Knights saw a strong Easter weekend, with Good Friday alone bringing in £6,500 in sales and Saturday close behind. This year, they’re aiming to match or even beat those numbers, with George and the team planning to get in earlier than usual to cut between 10 and 12 blocks of fish.
Knights will be using the busy Easter period to promote its ‘fresh’ menu, encouraging customers to try one of its locally sourced and cheaper alternatives to cod and haddock. These include hake, halibut and coley – all landed in UK ports. “It’s all in how you market it,” says George. “People are sticklers for tradition and they don’t like to veer away from what they like. But if you market an alternative species by telling customers it’s a very similar taste and texture then they will try it. I’ve converted a few customers over to hake this way in the past few months.”
Tiffany Irvin, who owns The Fish Works on the coast in Largs, Ayrshire, with husband Ross, is hoping the run of good weather continues into the Easter weekend, making a busy period even busier. “If the weather is nice, trade can go up by 50%. Two years ago, we had a heatwave and we were up 70% over the Easter weekend,” she said.
Open Good Friday straight through to Easter Monday means logistics can be tricky. Fresh fish deliveries don’t run on Sundays or Easter Monday, so Tiffany needs to plan carefully to avoid running out of stock. “We always check the forecast closely and plan ahead. We’ll rota staff as if it’s going to be a heatwave – we’ll have up to 12 on shift at one time, compared to four on a rainy day – and then if it doesn’t pan out that way we give staff the option to take time off.”
At The Cod’s Scallops in Nottingham, business owner John Molnar is coming off a strong February and March, thanks in part to a popular Monday offer of small haddock, chips, sauce and a drink for £5. It has trebled turnover on its quietest day of the week and Monday is now its second busiest day.
John expects Easter to keep the momentum going and anticipates trade will be up between 15-20%, commenting: “As long as the weather holds – warm but not too hot – we should be in for a good weekend. People aren’t going away like they have in past years. There are no cheap holidays, so they stay local and treat themselves to fish and chips. Hopefully, that should work in our favour.”
The Cod’s Scallops will also keep its Monday offer running on Easter Monday, despite initial plans to pull it, and will be serving up novelty items like deep-fried Cadbury’s Creme Eggs and chocolate-filled, battered hot cross buns, which continue to be strong sellers.
Jay Kumar, owner of Sea Blue Fisheries in Clowne, Derbyshire, and Sea Queen in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, is a little more reticent about the Easter period, viewing it with cautious optimism.
Having only owned one shop for a year and a half and the second for just a few months, he remains uncertain about what to expect and admits the cost of living crisis is weighing heavily on his mind. “Trade just isn’t what it used to be,” he said. “Normally by the end of March, things start to pick up but this year it’s still very tight. It just doesn’t feel like the money is out there and people are definitely cutting back.
“With the new budget, rising taxes and more competition every day, it’s hard to know what kind of Easter we’re heading into.”
At both chippies Jay will give out Easter eggs to the children and cook to order. He adds: “We’ll take it in our stride this Easter and see what happens and hopefully it’s a busy one.”
It’s a similar story for John Lavery, owner of Fish City, a popular takeaway and 150-seater restaurant in the heart of Belfast city centre. With tourist numbers down so far this year compared to last, he’s also uncertain about how Easter trading will unfold.
“Under normal circumstances, we’d be very busy on Good Friday and Saturday, and that momentum would carry into Monday and Tuesday,” he says. “We’d typically expect to serve between 1,500 and just over 2,000 covers over the period. Will we reach that this year? Honestly, I don’t know, it’s a real unknown,” he said.
John points to a range of pressures facing the sector. “The cost of living crisis has already had an effect, but in just the past few weeks alone we’ve seen the minimum wage rise, employers’ National Insurance Contributions increase, and huge volatility in global stock markets. All of that significantly impacts on small businesses.”
He added: “If people don’t have confidence, even though they might have a few quid, they’re afraid to spend that money. They’re being a bit more cautious. What impact will that have? I don’t know yet.”
