Building the right reputation is key for any new business and Athena’s Fish and Chips in Bexhill-on-Sea are heading in the right direction after only 7 weeks of being open!
‘Whilst the shop is not on the seafront, it’s in a seaside town and customers are really responding to our focus on fresh and local produce,’ explained owner Nick Damurakis. ‘We clearly display the products’ traceability in the shop and customers love it! We’re also very passionate about providing healthy food so we make sure our customers know about the healthier options we have made from frying in groundnut oil to using World of Ceres’ Natural Batter.’
This passion and focus has been relayed in all the promotional work they’ve done; in fact as Nick puts it: ‘we’re telling anyone that’ll listen about us! We’re really active on our Facebook and Twitter account, we’ve produced leaflets and actively promoted ourselves in local newspapers.’ This proactive attitude has also meant they’re already looking at entering in the Best Newcomer category in National Fish and Chip Awards and entering his colleague Tom in the Young Fish Friers Competition.
The site used to be a luggage shop so Nick had to do a complete refurb and had to go through planning: ‘I knew I wanted a Florigo range but I found that I also received further help from the Florigo team, especially Robert Furey, with planning and deciding on the layout of the shop. They designed and supplied a canopy for our pan frying and they provided invaluable advice about the logistics on putting the project together.’
Nick had a 4 pan HE island range fitted and doesn’t regret his decision: ‘I’ve fried on almost every other range manufacturer and I can honestly say Florigo are miles ahead. I could not be happier with my new range and all the help from Rob & Raf and the entire team. It’s brilliant!’
We wish Nick and his team all the success in the future!