Looking to buy a chip shop

[cameron d inglis]

Hi Every one, i am seroiusly thinking of selling my house to buy a fish and chip shop, i do have some retail experience (a few years ago now though) and some fast food experience, but apart from that i am a complete novice, any help, suggestions about what i need to do to achieve my dream is very welcome, all aspects from start to finish would be a great help. i am trying to build up a file of to do lists etc, so please any ideas contibutions gratefully recieved. Thanks in advance

 

[JustinAnderson]

Hi Cameron,

I would suggest starting small and testing the water first before you taking the big plunge.

Perhaps you can be a reseller and once you know there's market to it then you can scale it up.

Lot's of time, the first money from entrepreneur is taking longer than you expected, but taking shorter than you afraid of.

goodluck and keep me posted!

 

[Scalloway]

The first thing I would do is get a part time job working in a fish and chip shop. Experience is vital when starting up a business.

 

[RBS]

I always wonder how on earth these chip shops survive... they sell chips for £1 or meal for £2.99. Can somebody explain?

Unless you own building and work there yourself 7 days a week 10hrs a day? Basically live there.... ?

 

[Websitehandyman]

One of the chipshops in our town has just changed hands. It's not being taken advantage of still if you ask me because it has room to seat about ten tables. Has a front and back entrance with loads of parking.

So I would say pick a place like that but don't do as someone else just done in our town - Buy a lovely old fashioned resteraint with loads of local business serving basic food that was often packed out up and down stairs and then turn it into a pizza takeaway.

 

[David Griffiths]

I would suggest starting small and testing the water first before you taking the big plunge.

Perhaps you can be a reseller and once you know there's market to it then you can scale it up.

That's quite some business plan for a chip shop. I wonder how you'd set about it in practice? Particularly the reseller bit?

 

[SqueakyHinge]

I would have thought it was all reasonably straight forward/

Good location and quality product.

If you have little knowledge about cooking the food then it is probably worth while getting a part time job in a chippy and getting some experience.

As we all know the UK ate its self out of recession so there is definitely a living to be made out of selling food. I don't think it will make you rich though.

 

[David Griffiths]

A well run shop in the right area will do very well. There is no need to open excessive hours. Many chip shops are quite happy to close by about 10 and not go for the pub closing trade. They don't need it. Having said that it's a long day - deliveries from 7.30, prepping all morning, open at 11 shut for the evening about 10. Some stay open throughout, others close between 2 and 5. It's too much work for one person but the business can afford the help needed.

The National Association of Fish Fryers runs training courses, including some aimed at absolute beginners.

If an existing business is taken over, then there will be a system to follow. The products that you sell will be greatly influenced by your buying decisions - the source of fish, what type of oil, the make of pies, variety of potatoes. Changing the formula for a successful shop might alienate existing customers so anything new might need to be brought in gradually and tested.

There's the eternal problem of deciding whether to buy on price or quality. There's a place for both models - a top notch chippy can attract customers from a wide area. There's another market that isn't at all discerning and just wants to be fed cheaply.

Getting the pricing right is vital - one mistake made by newbies is not to understand that potato prices vary considerably over the year. Work out your prices when spuds are cheap and you are going to get it wrong. Fortunately there are plenty of opportunities to visit competitors and check pricing.

 

[Yorkshire&Online]

Brilliant advice by David. He has pretty much summed up exactly what I would have said, based on the experiences of some of my clients.

You should do a proper business plan to put down all these factors on paper, once you have found a shop that you are interested in. Don't go jumping in without a plan and cash flow forecast first. It can be fatal!

I have some useful guides on the website that might help you consider what you need to do before you take the plunge:

http://www.brown-royd.co.uk/services/business-start-ups

 

[lewilewis]

i have a shop in Berlin and would like to make a Chippie.

i need a Chip Chef, ie. somone who is going to make tip top fries.

any idea where i can find one in the UK?

cheers
paul

 

[Stephen Davies]

The first thing I would do is get a part time job working in a fish and chip shop. Experience is vital when starting up a business.

This is pure genius!
That way you can learn everything from the shop floor in a month or two so you know what to do when you set up your chippie.