TASTY TUBS
THE BERMUDAN FISH BAR/ALF'S FISH & CHIP SHOP

Richard Kindleysides has been running the Bermudan Fish Bar in Camber Sands, a seven mile long stretch of sandy beach in East Sussex, for almost a year. They are open all year round and their customers are wide and varied, ranging from 10-70 years old, locals and tourists, surfers, dog walkers and horse riders. "We have been nominated for the 'Customer Excellence Awards' in the takeaways category for fish and chip shops" says Richard proudly.

Describing his immediate competition Richard explained, "There are two holiday park resorts nearby that we draw customers in from and our nearest competition is one mile away but they aren't open all year round." Despite this, Richard is constantly trying to come up with new ideas to draw customers in as the wet summer last year affected him and this season is looking like a late starter too. So when he spotted an advertisement in Fry Monthly for Fish and Chip shops to participate in a trial using Moy Park Foodservice chicken, he applied, seeing an opportunity to extend his menu and try something new.

"Typically the locally caught Cod and Huss with chips is a firm favourite with locals, although I did sell chicken popcorn and ½ roast chicken pieces prior to the Moy Park Foodservice trial," says Richard. Offering an irresistible mix of succulent southern fried Chick 'n' Dixie, Crunchy Chick 'n' Mini Fillets, Chick 'n' Ferno Wings, chips, Sugared Mini Donuts and soft drink, the Tasty Tubs were offered at just £14.99 and were very popular with those who tried it. In addition, Richard featured Moy Park Foodservice's Chickwich™ Steak Burger as part of a meal deal, with chips, Battered Natural Onion Rings and an Apple Pie for £4.99. "Many of the locals still favoured the fish but tourists and especially families chose the Tasty Tubs as they were great value for money. Some customers that had bought a Tasty Tub or Chickwich™ in the evening returned the next morning for breakfast at the café next door and popped in to say how much they had enjoyed it."

Richard explained that the POS was eye-catching, the menus were easy to use, clearly stating exactly what you get, and the products were easily prepared. "All I had to do was pre-portion and cook to order; they were ready in 8-10 minutes." He's now looking forward to the start of the season as he feels the addition of Moy Park Foodservice chicken products to his menu will prove successful. "The products are tasty and easy to prepare and Moy Park Foodservice provides a simple, one stop solution if you want to put chicken on the menu. I will definitely be keeping the Tasty Tubs."

"My top tip for other fish shops considering putting chicken on the menu? Go to the Moy Park Foodservice website where you can select from the wide range of chicken products available," suggests Richard, "there's something there for everyone."

John has been running Alf's Fish & Chip Shop in Weymouth for the past 3 years, although he has been a chippie for 28 years. He was a finalist in the Chip Shop of the Year Competition for his contribution to the local community in 2007 and won an award for 'Outstanding Performance' from the Dorset Echo. Alf's Fish & Chip Shop is 15 minutes from the sea with three holiday parks nearby and John's customers range from children to the elderly. He's lucky to have no other competition in the immediate area, although there is an outlet which sells chicken about 10 minutes away.

John hasn't felt the negative effects of poor weather on his business. In fact, since he's been at Alf's, he’s taken annual turnover from £100k to almost £250k by selling a wide range of products from newspapers, confectionary, tobacco and breakfast items. However, the most popular item on his menu is still Cod and chips but being the entrepreneur he is, John wanted to extend his existing chicken offer of roasted ½'s and ¼'s so responded the advertisement in Fry to trial the range from Moy Park Foodservice.

John trialled the Moy Park Foodservice southern fried Chick 'n' Dixie, Crunchy Chick 'n' Mini Fillets and Chick 'n' Ferno Wings, which were especially liked by his younger customers and families with children, but he felt that sales could have been up to 30-40% higher with a dedicated display. John also sampled

Moy Park Foodservice's Chickwich™ Steak Burger with his customers, who all gave favourable feedback.
"The Moy Park Foodservice products were quick and simple to prepare and it was easy to train my staff in their use," explains John. He goes on to say, "I'd definitely be buying Moy Park Foodservice chicken again and the Battered Natural Onion Rings were particularly liked by my customers, who said they were very crunchy with a good flavour." "Be organised with the set up, make sure you have plenty of appropriate POS and choose from the wide selection of chicken products available from Moy Park Foodservice," is John's advice for anyone wanting to include chicken on their menu.