A 4 pan high efficiency Kiremko frying range is saving new business Mackerel Sky up to a third on its gas bills, providing crucial savings when they are needed most
Having lived in Stamford Bridge, York, for many years, Ali and Katrina Hasanbasoglu were excited at the prospect of reviving a traditional fish and chip takeaway that had been in the village for 89 years but closed for the past two.
For Katrina, it brought back a sense of community that had been missing in the village while for Ali, a keen fisherman, it provided a new home for some of his old rods, which have been repurposed and made into hanging lights.
Complementing the unique decor is a cream, powder coated 4 pan Kiremko island range, which the pair had installed in February 2023 after visiting the KFE Open Day. It was at a time when energy prices were at their peak and making savings was top of mind.
“When we signed our gas and electric contracts in January 2023, everything was so high. We had a restaurant before this and the most we paid was 14p per unit. When we came in here, it was 35p per unit. If we hadn’t got the high efficiency Kiremko, we would have been looking at double, if not triple on our bills. Because of the efficiency, we are saving on our fuel.”
Those savings became all the more significant for the takeaway in May this year when a bridge crossing the main road from York to the coast closed for 10 weeks for repairs, stopping all passing trade. “We’re down on our winter trading so the fact that the Kiremko is constantly saving us money means that we can carry on trading while trying to build the business up,” says Katrina. “Had we bought a less efficient frying range costing us three times as much, we would have had to close the doors while the bridge was shut.
“Despite us having a quiet period, we were really surprised at how low our gas bill was last month at just £400.”
With timers for frying different menu items and built-in filtration to keep the oil clean, Katrina describes the range as “dummy-proof” and exactly what the pair needed. “When you’re new to the industry like we are, it’s important to know that the machine we are using has got our back.
“We’re maintaining a good colour on our fish and everyone comments on how our chips have a nice colour. On top of that, our oil is maintaining its quality well so we’re not throwing a lot away and we have got consistency of product.”
Reaching the final three in the Best Newcomer category at this year’s National Fish & Chip Awards was a milestone for Katrina and Ali. Another was serving over 200 portions of fish and chips during the D-Day 80th anniversary celebrations.
Katrina adds: “Fish and chips is a great industry to be part of. KFE has made us feel very welcome by putting us in touch with other customers such as Keely Richardson at Frying Nemo who opened her doors to us, showed us her range and let us work a few shifts with her. KFE didn’t have to do that, they could have just put the frying range in and walked away, but they didn’t.”
As a newcomer, Katrina was pleased to be led through the sales process by KFE Area Sales Manager Richard Turner, adding: “Richard made the process really straight forward. He was happy to help with any questions we had and was really prompt with coming back to us with the answers.”