Fish and chips startup help

[Set77]

Hello im Joe

I decided to open a fish and chips takeaway,
unfortunately i don't have any experience with paper work, business also frying fish.

I have been on this forum for couple weeks reading some articles, and can see are very gold information here but now i need ask my questions.

Also i want to say thank you very much for all can help me.

Lets go role.

My situation...
- Money: around 15k + 25k to 35k to borrow from bank
- Experience upfront i will spend weekends on some fish and chips shop, i'm better on hands jobs that paper, so probably i will learn quick. Experience on control the business, i have some skills because im manager of a company and it will help me i think.
-

I have already a place where are/i think be a good place for the business, couple shops and no finish and ships there.

I have talk already with the agency, and there are A1 license/new lease and are empty because that was offices , i have work to do.

About license what are the difference between A3 and A5 and what better fit for fish and chips shop? I would like some chairs inside and on good weather some chairs outside.


I will task by order what i think have to do and if im wrong let me know where.

0 - plan
1 - Register my brand
What advice do you give me on this task ?

2 - Get the permit for A3 and A5
What advice do you give me on this task ?

3 - afther get the permit from my area council i can start deal with agency about the local i want.
What advice do you give me on this task ?

4 - plan/design what equipment i will really need and where will fit it.
What advice do you give me on this task ?

5 - construction (floor, walls, windows, doors.....)
What advice do you give me on this task ?

6 - set up the fryers and other equipment
What advice do you give me on this task ?

7 - pay for someone check the gas and electric and get the certificate.
What advice do you give me on this task ?

8 - health and safety ( do not know much about this )
What advice do you give me on this task ?

9 - ?
...

Well this are some tasks, have more i know and if you suggest to me i will update my post to help others members.

Thank you for all help you give me

 

[TotalWebSolutions]

For point 6 I presume the 'equipment' will include your chip&pin terminal ? When ready if you want to drop us a PM or call the number below we can assist you. We have direct contacts at several leading acquiring banks and can arrange a quote for you in order to try and get you the best deal.

Best of luck in your new venture.

 

[The Byre]

Does the place you have you eye on have three-phase?

Without it, you will need gas fired stuff.

Other than that -

1. Put up a big sign. That is now your brand!
2. Talk to council.
3. Always be prepared to walk. Don't fall in love with a place!
4. Phone a friend! Ask others in the business and talk to Nisbets (and stay well away from Cater-Kwik!)
5. You will need all four - and ceilings and a roof! Make sure everything is washable!
6. See no. 4.
7. Hire a locally recommended electrician, plumber and/or gas fitter.
8. See no.2!
9. Read 'Starting a Business for Dummies'!

 

[domainguy]

Before all that have you created a business plan? priced the shop lease, fitting it out, buying the equipment new or used? will your proposed loan cover everything? how many chips you need to sell to cover loan/staff/costs? checked footfall of proposed site? spoken to locals to guage interest? maybe there was one around previously and not now for a reason? see quite a few for sale elsewhere so location v important.

 

[Set77]

Before all that have you created a business plan? priced the shop lease, fitting it out, buying the equipment new or used? will your proposed loan cover everything? how many chips you need to sell to cover loan/staff/costs? checked footfall of proposed site? spoken to locals to guage interest? maybe there was one around previously and not now for a reason? see quite a few for sale elsewhere so location v important.

Thank you for your replay
Yes location is very important, and i think on this area are bit very bit movement

On this weekend and nexts i will start write the plan, also i need work on some shop to really know what i will need, and make some calculations,
the fryer will be new but some equipment can be 2 hand will help me save costs

Thank you very much for your reply and if you have more information let me know


Thank you

 

[Set77]

Sorry guys i was missing your posts, technology sometimes confusing us

For point 6 I presume the 'equipment' will include your chip&pin terminal ? When ready if you want to drop us a PM or call the number below we can assist you. We have direct contacts at several leading acquiring banks and can arrange a quote for you in order to try and get you the best deal.

Best of luck in your new venture.

Thank you for your reply

i will add you contact to my contact list, please pm more details about you service and i can add a note what are you service.

Does the place you have you eye on have three-phase?

Without it, you will need gas fired stuff.

Other than that -

1. Put up a big sign. That is now your brand!
2. Talk to council.
3. Always be prepared to walk. Don't fall in love with a place!
4. Phone a friend! Ask others in the business and talk to Nisbets (and stay well away from Cater-Kwik!)
5. You will need all four - and ceilings and a roof! Make sure everything is washable!
6. See no. 4.
7. Hire a locally recommended electrician, plumber and/or gas fitter.
8. See no.2!
9. Read 'Starting a Business for Dummies'!

Byre thanks for your post here have great information
Some questions regarding your post

Good question about the Three-phase, the place was a office must don't have this function, obviously big machine needs more electric, i will ask the agency if have.

Case don't have could i get it?
maybe have to talk with my council area to get the permit for tree-phase on that build, im right ?

Gas vs electric?
(also i will ask the others shops aroud me, and i will do some calculations from booth prices)
Honestly i think the gas are more hard for health and safety.)

1. Exactly, i have to work hard, spend lots of time, money, dedication, shearing for information, calculations, give 100% on this if i really want it. Thank you

2. I will book a appointment, after make bit of the plan, conditions i want so the people will understand better what i expect, so people can help me better.

3. I know its take time, from the view to the open, i will be patient and calm.

4. Great website, will help me on my business plan to take a ideia what i will need and how much the equipment will cost me.

5. On this section you talk about how should be the costraction on the build type of materials Example, on the floor, walls, roof?

6. Maybe its time to plan how/what/when to fit the equipment
Im right?

7. Exactly, sometimes its better pay a little bit more and have the job done properly, and with warranty .

8. Talk to the council for whats?

9. Oh yes, its are on my list of stuff to buy soon, i really like how dummies explain the stuff, i have couple books from dummies but teach other stuff and are fabulous.

Thank you for all members, only one post and so great information


Thank you

 

[Taylormade01]

Hi

 

[Mark T Jones]

My first thought here is that your start up budget is wildly optimistic. Having funded a few chip shops, I'd be surprised if you can make a proper job for below £100k. Unlike restaurant kitchens (where equipment can be bought for a song if you are canny) range equipment holds good money second hand - and must be bought well as unreliable kit will destroy you quickly. Then there is filtration, extraction etc

You might be able to finance the equipment - but obviously you cashflow projections will need to show this cost

There is a forum dedicated to chippies - can't remember the name but a quick search should find it

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Our local chippy just installed new equipment as ther old fryers could not keep the heat and went very low when big quantities of food required at the rush hours

He told me he spent 85 grand on the new range and fridges

There is I believe a two week fish fryers course in Hull or Grimsby where they teach you the whole thing by experts , which may be better than learning from others

Filters I understand are very expensive and locals will complain if the fat smell is around the shop and also noise as cars always pulling up slamming doors etc so may not be able to convince planning department so may be worth talking to planning prior to even thinking about it

 

[Set77]

thank you very much guys for the post, more good information to this start up.
I honesttly can see, this will give me lot of work, and lote of information i will need to know, also money.

My first thought here is that your start up budget is wildly optimistic. Having funded a few chip shops, I'd be surprised if you can make a proper job for below £100k. Unlike restaurant kitchens (where equipment can be bought for a song if you are canny) range equipment holds good money second hand - and must be bought well as unreliable kit will destroy you quickly. Then there is filtration, extraction etc

You might be able to finance the equipment - but obviously you cashflow projections will need to show this cost

There is a forum dedicated to chippies - can't remember the name but a quick search should find it

100k in investing, how long it need to take to get it return ?

some jobs like paint, setup the floor i can do myself so is more money i save.
but maybe with 40k im not go to far, im planing, and will see what it shows

i was planing borrow from bank, do you sugest me any place where i can borrow ex +- 50k ?

Our local chippy just installed new equipment as ther old fryers could not keep the heat and went very low when big quantities of food required at the rush hours

He told me he spent 85 grand on the new range and fridges

There is I believe a two week fish fryers course in Hull or Grimsby where they teach you the whole thing by experts , which may be better than learning from others

Filters I understand are very expensive and locals will complain if the fat smell is around the shop and also noise as cars always pulling up slamming doors etc so may not be able to convince planning department so may be worth talking to planning prior to even thinking about it

the place are no mutch big, so i will not need 4 fryers, but its expensive i know.

thank you for your recomendation, i will give a look to this courses, but work on fish and chips we get experirence too.

im planing close 9.30 or 10.00, there is high street lote of cars drive there, and car park are 50 metrs or less from the place, also have takeway shop near there, normal have already noise there.

what you mean planning prior ?

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Thank you for everyone has help me here, im very happy with the anwser recive here


all the best

 

[The Byre]

I would seriously think twice about setting up a fish & chips joint. Tastes are changing and the equipment and food costs are highest for F&C. Also, most people regard F&C as a poor-man's food. It is not a meal you would suggest to that 'special someone' as the romantic end to a lovely evening!

A guy I know rented one of the smallest places you can imagine in the heart of a provincial city in the UK. Other restaurateurs had looked at the place and passed on the opportunity - too damn small! It had stood empty for over six months. He spoke to another friend who is a top chef who has worked all over the World about coming in with him on the deal. "You do the kitchen, I'll be front of house and drinks."

OK said the chef and between them, they did the place up, DIY'ed a funky bar out of bits and some old railway sleepers and bought kitchen equipment and chair, tables, plates, etc., etc., on the never-never.

(Unfortunately, they first ordered from Cater-Kwick who took the words never-never to mean never deliver - so they never paid! Then they got real and ordered from Nisbets, who delivered within three days!)

All they invested of their own money was c.a. £12,000 for building materials, plumbers, electricians and the first month's rent.

Instead of offering full-blown meals, my fiends offered very up-market snacks and up-market cocktails, German beers in tall glasses, stuff like that. They also got permission from the council to put chairs and tables on the pavement. The chef offered scallops, crab claws, dips, each costing a few pounds, but the sort of thing you would eat a few of - so a guy trying to impress a girl would order quite a few and spend waaay more than at any chip shop or even at a regular restaurant.

During the renovation work, they found some antique masonic artefacts that they then put up on the walls as decoration and this fact got them a good write-up in the local paper - so great publicity!

On the opening day, there was a crowd outside the place and they took an amazing £10k in turnover!

BUT

A word of warning! To save money, they bought some of the equipment (air extraction, a Salamander and a few other bits) used and these all failed and put them out of business for over two weeks, as you are not allowed to run a restaurant without proper filtered air extraction!

This failure and subsequent closure nearly wiped them out completely! The chef pulled the plug on his investment and walked, as air extraction was something the other guy was supposed to have sorted out.

 

[Mark T Jones]

t



100k in investing, how long it need to take to get it return ?

some jobs like paint, setup the floor i can do myself so is more money i save.
but maybe with 40k im not go to far, im planing, and will see what it shows

i was planing borrow from bank, do you sugest me any place where i can borrow ex +- 50k ?




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Thank you for everyone has help me here, im very happy with the anwser recive here


all the best

This is why you need to do detailed cashflow projections - the site I referred to might provide some detail but ultimately it if your restaurant and you need to understand cashflow etc

Banks still aren't keen to lend to start ups, but it is worth getting in touch to see what they have to say (armed with a business plan and cashflow projections.

I can't agree with Byre's comments regarding popularity/perception of fish and chips - it remains a solid sector - by no means a guarantee of success, but failure rate far lower than other take ways.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Don't forget you need commercial fridges and freezers and if you get busy you will need the 4 fryers to keep up with demand. People nowdays want the fish cooked whilst they weight rather than the old soggy things of yesteryear where they were piled up on the fryer tops for hours

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Have a look here

http://www.federationoffishfriers.co.uk/pages/training-courses-585.htm

 

[domainguy]

Fish and chips "a poor mans food"? when did you last buy some? Costs the equivalent of chinese or indian where I live. large Piece of cod can be circa £7. Pie £2,85 chips £1.50-£2,80. they also do chicken/ribs etc. Family of 4 meal isn't cheap.

 

[TotalWebSolutions]

Joe - PM sent as requested