Phil’s Plaice in Gedling, Nottingham, was last refurbished 20 years ago. When owner Matt Elliott decided to buy the freehold and upgrade his 20-year-old frying range earlier this year, it set the wheels in motion for a complete overhaul of the business.
“It’s tough times at the minute for everybody, but I think you’ve got to be ahead of the curve,” says Matt, who invested £150,000 in the project.
“People like to go to nice places, they want to be a part of something that’s new. We’ve always been a busy shop with a reputation for quality food, but the premises were looking a bit tired and it was time to totally modernise.”
Matt called in BD Signs to put his ideas into action and the old, dark brown shopfront has been replaced with a more modern grey aluminium version, new double doors and signage that clearly displays the new name, The Plaice.
Inside the takeaway there’s a digital menu screen in the window giving customers all-important information such has opening times, its five star food rating and where it sources its fish and potatoes.
“At first, I didn’t really know what to put on the screen,” says Matt. “But BD Signs, having done this before, knew exactly what to do so they guided me with that and did all the design.”
Internally, three digital menu screens are continually changing, enabling customers to view the entire offering clearly and easily and never miss an item.
Matt adds: “Before the refit, we had wooden blackboards for menus and it was a bit of a bind every time our prices went up because somebody had to come out and repaint them. Now, with the digital screens, they are updated instantly.
“And they’re very good at what they do. Items like the peas and gravy rotate on the screen and capture people’s attention. The customers are all blown away by how modern it all looks.”
Since the refurbishment, Matt has seen a huge spike in trade which the shop has been able to maintain.
He adds: “The refurbishment has attracted more people to us, people that we’ve not even seen before and we needed that. We’ve always been a busy shop but we have had a couple of issues over the years that have taken trade away from us. To see fresh people come in is great and it shows that people are out there willing to spend money, they are just selective about where they spend it.”
With Matt project managing the refurbishment he’s pleased with the end result, adding: “BD Signs were great, they were always there whenever I had a question and, because they’ve been established for so long, they knew exactly what to do. And to be honest, even they have been blown away with how good the new shop looks.”
BD Signs & BDigital 0115 979 4330 www.bdsignsnottingham.co.uk
Recent Posts
- National Fish & Chip Day 2025 returns for its 10th anniversary
- Delivery sales flatten in January but takeaway and click and collect show modest growth
- FSA updates guidance on food allergen information for restaurants and takeaways
- Colmans of South Shields to open restaurant in Fenwick Newcastle
- Get lucky this St Patrick’s Day with Dinaclass
