BIG INTERVIEW: MAKING A MILL OF IT

With its fried chicken brand Mills Chicken adding 10% to their turnover, we speak to Nick Miller, co-owner of Millers Fish & Chips in Haxby, York, about why the business decided to branch out and how it’s working in practice

Millers is known for its fish and chips, so when did you first start thinking seriously about focusing on chicken?

It was September 2024, and we were at a festival. I decided to trial Mills Chicken as I could see chicken growing in popularity. I had everything branded as Mills Chicken and we sold boneless fried chicken with crinkle-cut fries, toppings and a cold beer, and it went down really well. Then we had a busy run-up to Christmas at Millers, so I put it on hold for a couple of months. When I revisited it around January/February of 2025, I knew I wanted to launch Mills properly, but as a brand rather than just adding chicken to the fish and chip shop menu. It was important to me for Mills to have its own identity, separate from Millers. I didn’t want people thinking we were drifting away from what we’re proud of and what we’ve built with fish and chips.

Had you offered chicken before at Millers?

Yes, about 10 years ago. When I joined, we were doing all sorts. We eventually removed chicken because we wanted to focus on what we do best and hone our craft.

How were you doing it back then?

We were using a pressure cooker. We’d get fresh chickens, quarter them, brine them to tenderise them, double bread them and then put them in the pressure cooker. When we took it off the menu, we upset quite a few people, but at that time we needed to focus on improving our fish and chips offering.

So in a way, it’s come full circle?

Yes, but it was scenario-specific. If we’d had the set-up we have now, we might have kept chicken on. At that time, the first thing we did was strip the menu back — no spam fritters, beef burgers, corned beef fritters or saveloys — and just concentrate on fish and chips.

How did the Mills launch work in practice?

I launched it as a street food business within the shop in Haxby. I set up a new cook line in the back, I moved fridges and freezers around, installed extraction, put in a breading table, fryers and a small fridge for toppings and salad. It was important to me for it to be self-sufficient because Haxby is so busy day to day, the last thing I wanted was to jeopardise that. In the current climate, with prices going up, something only has to be slightly not good enough for a customer to complain. It cost about £10,000 to set up, which is minimal compared to opening a standalone chicken shop, and we could absorb the cost within the same business.

The menu is quite simple. Was that deliberate?

Yes. It’s basically chicken and crinkle-cut chips with toppings, sauces and slaw. We wanted to do one thing very well. It’s all boneless chicken tenders from Bromwich Family Butchers in Haxby. They’re just down the road, so straight away we’ve got the community on our side because it’s two local businesses working together. There’s so much you can do with chicken, but, like fish and chips, you have to find the right balance so it’s palatable for everyone. We tenderise the chicken in buttermilk for 24 hours, then double bread it to give it the spiky texture. Because we’re putting more breading on, which means more flavour, we have to pull some flavours back in the buttermilk stage so it’s balanced. It took a while to get it right.

How did you start selling Mills?

At first, it was online only, working almost like a dark kitchen. Once we’d built up a following, I decided to bring it more into Millers. Initially, we had an iPad set up for customer to place their orders. I could have gone with a self-service kiosk, but that ties you into a contract. Just before Christmas, I absorbed Mills Chicken fully into the Millers Fish & Chips menu and we got rid of the iPad so customers now order at the counter. What we’re seeing is that people who originally came just for Mills are now ordering fish, sausages or other items as well. So we’ve converted some of them to fish and chips, while also converting some fish customers to chicken. That was my strategy.

How is it priced?

We do a combo box that includes tenders, crinkle-cut fries and slaw for £12. The upsell is whatever dips that the customer wants to order.

Operationally, is it straightforward?

It’s like anything, you need systems in place. We’ve got spreadsheets for how to make everything, down to the gram, for the buttermilk mix, the breading, our signature sauce. Everything is weighed out so even the younger members of staff can follow it consistently.

Do you have any issues with handling raw chicken?

It could be a problem if you didn’t have the space. For us, we have a dedicated area and a good clean-down routine, which is important. I can understand why some operators would worry about cross-contamination, but with the right set-up it’s manageable.

What impact has Mills had on sales?

It’s added 10% to our existing weekly turnover and it’s not taking anything away from fish sales. Around 80% of our sales are still online, so it’s good to see more customers coming into the shop and talking to us. I was worried at the start, and Dad and I had that conversation — fish and chips is hard enough as it is, and now we’re adding something else. Would we gain new customers or just give existing ones more choice and make things harder for ourselves? We looked at a Friday night and saw we were taking the same amount of fish and chips as before, and Mills had done well on top of that. So it’s been additional trade rather than cannibalising what we already do.

How do the margins compare with fish?

Chicken is much cheaper to buy than fish. We’re paying £87.50 per 5kg for cod and £31.25 per 5kg for chicken, yet we can charge a similar amount. It’s a perception thing. It also cooks quickly – two minutes and 45 seconds in the fryer. The reason it’s so quick is because it’s been tenderised, so you’re already starting to break the protein down before it hits the fryer.

Who’s buying fried chicken?

I haven’t analysed the online data in detail, but from what we see in the shop, it is the younger generation, which won’t surprise you. But I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t like fried chicken!

I have to ask about the spice bag, which is now everywhere. How did that take off?

We launched the Irish Spice Bag in September 2025 as another standalone concept as a trial for our biggest event of the year – The York Christmas market. It’s salt, pepper, chips, chicken and veg tossed together in a bowl and served in a bag with sauces. It was so popular, honestly, one Friday, we sold 200. It caused problems initially because we were trying to manage fish orders at the same time. Customers were waiting longer for fish, so we had to adjust. Now we fry it in a separate pan, but, again, adding new products comes with extra costs – another fryer, another member of staff – but it’s what we do, and we love innovating. Although I don’t claim the Spice Bag as my idea; I had it in Ireland years ago and remembered it. It’s interesting to see how many people are doing it now.

Do you think chicken is here to stay in fish and chip shops or is it a fad?

I think it’s here to stay. Some specific trends within it might have a shelf life, but chicken itself is hugely popular. There are rumours that Wingstop is coming into York, and there are other chains expanding. Years ago, you wouldn’t have expected that in York. In London, you’ve got Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane’s opening. Dave’s Hot Chicken is another one with queues out the door. If we can tap into that appetite locally, then that’s positive. What we have on our side as independents is trust, our customers trust what we do. If we put a special on – fish, chicken, tacos, whatever – they’ll give it a go because they believe we’ll do it properly. If you’re going to add something new to your menu, you have to do it as well as you possibly can.