Tips from a chippie of the future
Chef Umed Singh had no hesitation in swapping his Michelin-starred kitchen in tropical Singapore for a fast-food venue on England’s North East coast
His move from fine dining to fast food at a brand new purpose-built venue in Peterlee was prompted by the vision of the man who headhunted him.
David Gill, Director of Gills outlets in the north-east, lured Chef Singh with an ambitious plan to revolutionise one of the greatest British traditions… the fish and chip shop.
His venues are unlike any other takeaway, with zero compromise on quality and ingredients, and each order cooked to the highest standards – without the price tag.
Their ‘fresh food fast’ slogan tells only part of the story – this is arguably the first takeaway with highly trained chefs cooking food from around the world for customers.
The Indo-Chinese section launched by Chef Singh is one of four areas in the back kitchen at the Peterlee venue, which opened two years ago.
He explains: “David started with fish and chips but dreamed of a takeaway offering restaurant-quality food cooked to order by experienced chefs in a unique experience for the whole family. The project appealed to me.
“I’m using the same spices and techniques I used in one of the best restaurants in Singapore. The sauces and dishes are the same. All that’s different is the delivery.”
Diversify or disappear
The menus, displayed clearly on screens above the counter, change regularly to keep pace with customers’ demands.
Once an order is placed online or in store it’s shared with one of four sections, each staffed by members of the 25-strong team, to ensure speed of service and attention to detail.
The areas include frying, where imported Icelandic cod is battered and cooked to a delicate crisp; pizza, where bases are made fresh every day; the kebab grill and an Indian station, for everything from Chicken Tikka Masala to Chilli Garlic Prawn.
“Fish and chip shops are dying out because fish is expensive and they sell nothing else. The only way to address that is to make yourself indispensable,” insists David.
“By diversifying into other areas of world food that people want, we’ve been able to keep the collection price of fish and chips down to an affordable £9.99.”
Switch up your menu
David and his team are constantly evolving their offering with new dishes – the local delicacy of home-made parmo, a chicken fillet with bechamel sauce, mozzarella and cheddar, for example.
Combo offers, special deals for pensioners and ‘buy one get one frees’ on sides like fish cakes ensure a stream of customers despite the area being hit hard by the economic crisis.
Elderly couple Cliff and Valerie make a 40-mile round trip to visit Gills once or twice a fortnight, with Cliff admitting: “We pass a lot of chippies on the way but this place has got the food quality, price and customer service spot-on.”
Finishing touches of spring onion and sesame seeds elevate the teriyaki chicken beyond takeaway
Dream big
David, whose sons Nav (right), Harry, and Gosh help run the business with daughter Jasleen (also right), says: “Ours is a fresh, transferable approach to a traditional model. We’d love to take it to Dubai where western culture is investing, but they currently have no fish and chip restaurants. Why not?”
Embrace digital
The family wanted to provide more value for their customers so alongside their own delivery platform – JustGills – they partnered with JustEat to show that Gills always teams up with high- performing companies.
They now run deliveries in parallel with customer collections, with around 75% of click and collect orders being placed online.
David says: “We didn’t want to rule out customers who like to order from JustEat and wanted to give guaranteed collection times, so the food is always cooked, ready to eat and there’s no waiting.
“So we integrated our system with JustEat to take care of everything to make it as easy and convenient as possible for our customers, whether they want their meals delivered or walk in to collect them.”
From the first keyboard click, information is passed to the relevant sections for the order to be prepared, cooked and delivered.
On their busiest ever day, the Peterlee team handled 700 customer orders as part of an estimated 150,000 orders every year.
““When we started, we focused on fish and chips and, as demand grew, added pizza and kebabs. Since then we’ve listened to our customers and expanded the menu, so we’re like a fast-food equivalent of Amazon.””
Shout loud
Social media – Facebook is their biggest hitter – is huge,
with some reels and regular live footage from inside the store attracting 12,000 likes.
Footage of influencers testing the batter on their cod has had
1.3 million views, and Nav says: “If you’re good and the product is good, then shout about it. We update our pages every day.
“It puts our business on another level, makes us stand out,
grows trust with our customers and makes our brand familiar.”
Quality counts
Venue Manager Love Singh stresses that when it comes to quality ingredients there can be no compromise: “It’s tough for people at the moment, so eating high-quality food is a treat.
“We’re making the takeaway a luxury experience that people can still afford. And because the food is better than ordinary takeaway standard, they’re happy to travel further and pay a little more.”
Proof comes in the statistic that of the 40,000 homes within a
four-mile radius of the venue, around 95% have eaten Gills food at least once.
Many return regularly, not just for the food but also for the welcome and first-name service the team deliver.
David says: “All our staff are trained in food safety and hygiene at Virtual College and because of the different sections they work seamlessly as a whole.”
Making it theatre
The front of house team handing over boxes of crispy fish or chicken tikka masala are aware of the part they play in the theatre of it all. The venue has been designed to make the food sections part of the experience.
Nash’s Deli, with its rainbow of potato, sandwich and salad fillings, sits alongside the serving area. It’s the brainchild of David’s daughter, Jasleen, who says: “People eat with their eyes first so it’s vital they like what they see. It’s important for customers to watch their food being prepared.
“We launched the Deli because people were asking for sandwiches and potatoes for summer. We listened to what they wanted, and it’s been a huge success.”
As well as tuna and chicken favourites, the north-east staple of pease pudding, often called “Geordie hummus”, features on the fillings menu.
David says: “By putting the customer first every time, you keep them happy. But we are never complacent, always learning and always looking for new ideas to try. We’re proud that we’re unique.”
““We pass a lot of chippies on the way but this place has got the food quality, price and customer service spot-on.””
