London chicken and chip shop a good idea?

[ArabianNights]

Hi all, would love your esteemed opinions and advise.

So we are at the point now, where our e-commerce business is running ‘itself’ I.e we have systems and staff in place … and it hasn’t been an easy ride! Through its starting to make money now, we are looking at a brick and mortar hands off business that is always busy and in demand. Food.

So, I am thinking about either going down the franchise route and getting a chicken and chip place, ideally on a busy high street in London - so targeting late night drunk people, app delivery service customers, school kids, Muslim customers (halal) etc

What are your thoughts on this? Are they actually profitable? I’m looking for it to be hands off and staff & manager run. Thanks

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

There are loads of these places all over London and if the demand is high and its profitable I would avoid a Franchise at all costs .Take some start up pain and keep the profits for yourselves

 

[Mark T Jones]

If you get it right it can do well.

If you get it wrong it can bankrupt you.

The difference is largely in your research

 

[BusterBloodvessel]

Personally with a combination of

- cost of electricity and gas at the moment
- Customer uncertainty around spending, current inflation etc
- extortionate cost of being on food delivery apps
- The fact you want it to be hands off & manager run (very difficult, especially from the off, to keep standards consistent)

I would be steering well clear of this and considering something else.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Personally with a combination of

- cost of electricity and gas at the moment
- Customer uncertainty around spending, current inflation etc
- extortionate cost of being on food delivery apps
- The fact you want it to be hands off & manager run (very difficult, especially from the off, to keep standards consistent)

I would be steering well clear of this and considering something else.

My judgement my be clouded by my not eating fat boy food
The craving of chips and fried chicken could cause one to make a poor business choice
Its a good job I'm into movin stuff about, only

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Nobody mentioned Quality, and consistency which most customers will want,

Every Fast food outlet sells Chicken and chips along with every Chinese or Pizza outlet along with many other options, so what make yours stand out

Franchise costs a small fortune both to start-up and ongoing supply costs plus few have really got the marketing that the big ones li McDonalds, KFC , Burger king and the like

 

[Gyumri]

So, I am thinking about getting a chicken and chip place

It should be a runaway success - but you're more likely to be running down the street at midnight chasing after drunks who haven't paid - never mind the chickens.

 

[japancool]

London is, of course, known for its dearth of chicken and chip shops. I've often found myself walking down the Old Kent Road thinking "where on earth can I get some chicken and chips?"

 

[Gyumri]

I've often found myself walking down the Old Kent Road thinking "where on earth can I get some chicken and chips?"

And then you woke up.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Nobody mentioned Quality, and consistency which most customers will want,

Every Fast food outlet sells Chicken and chips along with every Chinese or Pizza outlet along with many other options, so what make yours stand out

Franchise costs a small fortune both to start-up and ongoing supply costs plus few have really got the marketing that the big ones li McDonalds, KFC , Burger king and the like

I don't think that those types of customers concern themselves with the quality of the food

 

[BusterBloodvessel]

I don't think that those types of customers concern themselves with the quality of the food

I do, and it's one of mine and my close mates' regular gripes when catching up over a pint! (it sits alongside other dull topics we repeatedly complain about during our Sunday afternoon pint......poor quality of the ale in the pub since the new owner took over, petrol prices, the declining state of our town centre, the weekends football bets going tits up, etc!)

I'm slightly too partial to a takeaway but the one thing that consistently (ironically) p*sses me off is the lack of consistency from all of them! Especially when they first open - might give it a try in the first couple of weeks and have a great meal. You can guarantee within a few weeks or couple of months they'll have started slipping with things, whether it be the size, quality of ingredients, general taste, whatever. I've lost count of the number of times I have recommended somewhere to somebody after having a good experience and they've had a bad one, and vice versa.

A couple of weeks ago after playing a gig with my band I called into the local kebab shop about midnight. It was delicious when I got it home - large fresh salad, nicely cooked homemade naan, fresh juicy meat and 2 tubs of their warm chilli sauce.

I went in after the following weeks gig and ordered exactly the same thing. This time I received a shop bought pataks naan, some dried up, curly donner meat that was inedible, some limp lettuce and no sauce. It went in the bin.

Happens so many times it infuriates me. Can only put most of it down to who's working and in particular the owners taking a back seat and leaving it to the staff, who just don't have the same investment in it.

Kebab-related rant over!!

 

[Mark T Jones]

I don't think that those types of customers concern themselves with the quality of the food

Consistency and quality aren't the same thing.

Consistent mediocre can actually sell pretty well whereas if you sway between brilliant and bad, people will quickly lose interest.

A lot of F & B business suffer from lack of Consistency.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Consistency and quality aren't the same thing.

Consistent mediocre can actually sell pretty well whereas if you sway between brilliant and bad, people will quickly lose interest.

A lot of F & B business suffer from lack of Consistency.

Your posh and you don't understand the working class ??
They chuck Ketchup , brown sauce and various other bottles of chemicals on the dish rendering the finished recipes taste irrelevant prior to it sauce addition

 

[Chris Ashdown]

The first indication that shows a change is the fat the chips are fried in, expensive to replace so used long after it should be changed, also all other fried items cooked and leaving different taste, Chips can make or break a outlet

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

@ArabianNights What experience do you have in food businesses?