Gennaro’s Fish & Chips in Great Western Road, Glasgow, is a completely different business today from what it was last year, from the way it fries its food, to the speed at which it serves customers, to how easily it trains staff. And it’s all thanks to investing in a four pan high efficiency Kiremko frying range.
“During the peak of the pandemic, orders increased by 100% and our old two pan range struggled to cope, especially with the increase in home delivery orders,” says owner Salvatore Di Rienzo. “So we needed a new machine, a faster one, a more up-to-date one.”
Whilst the additional capacity of having two extra high efficiency pans was anticipated, what really surprised the team was the difference blanching and finishing chips made as opposed to cooking straight through.
Salvatore comments: “Before we cooked our chips straight through and they would take about seven minutes. Now we’re double frying them so no one is ever really waiting any more than two minutes. It’s a faster service which has cut down waiting times and means we can serve more customers.”
Blanching is also producing a better product, says Salvatore as fresh chips are always guaranteed. “We can do smaller portions but faster so we don’t have a chip box full of chips waiting to be served that might go soft or dry. Chips go out fresh and we’ve had a lot of customers comment and say they prefer the way we do our chips now.”
With four high efficiency pans consuming less energy and built-in filtration keeping the oil fresher for longer, Salvatore has seen some big cost savings with his new Kiremko, adding: “I would say we’re saving a good 30-40% in gas while oil I would say we’re saving at least 25%.”
Buying the latest frying range with the most up-to-date technology is also having a vast improvement on training, with Salvatore now able to up-skill staff more easily, fast-tracking some to become friers.
“One of our staff started almost a year ago as a kitchen porter and now he’s a frier. If we hadn’t have bought a Kiremko there’s no way after a year he’d be at the stage he is now. Because the timings and temperatures are all pre-set, staff can just drop a basket, push a button and when it starts ringing that’s the food ready – and it’s the same consistent product each time. Staff can even fry now while battering the fish or the sausages.”
With the savings Gennaro’s is making in gas and oil and the increased revenue the business is now generating, Salvatore says investing in a new, modern range – along with a full refurbishment of the premises – has helped give his business an element of security during a challenging time for the industry.
“You have to look at your range purchase as an investment and not a cost, because we’re already recouping that investment,” he says.
“Over time, in any business, you’ve got to invest to refresh it and give it a new appeal. Your customers are changing all the time and there are new places opening up constantly which means the competition just gets tougher so you can’t rest on your laurels.
“When you hear the news that says all these shops are going to close down those are the shops that are really just left behind, they haven’t invested the money or done the marketing that they really need to be doing. You’ve got to invest to keep your standards high.”
Click here to read how Dolphin Fish & Chips in Macduff, Banffshire, installed a new Kiremko 4 pan high efficiency counter frying range after successfully being awarded a £20,000 grant to invest in technology to reduce costs and create greater efficiencies.