Bourne Plaice in Ramsey on the Isle of Man has gone from strength to strength, making gains each year since Rob Cowell converted it from an old office into a modern fish and chip takeaway ten years ago. Like many operators, when Covid hit, Rob thought it would be the end of his business, but in reality, it had the opposite effect.
“Our business boomed but off of the back of that we then had a business that was bigger than it was pre-Covid working on kit that was too small,” says Rob. “We had to install a new frying range just to service the uplift. If we gained business, that would be amazing, but it was mainly about sustaining what we had.”
With KFE helping transport, install and carry out repairs on the second-hand Kiremko Rob launched the business with, there was no question over who he would look to for a new range. He purchased a brand new four pan L-shaped Kiremko, giving one extra chip pan, thereby doubling chip capacity, as well as two 1m fish pans, resulting in 30% more capacity per pan.
Bourne Plaice didn’t have to wait long before witnessing the benefit of being able to turn out more volume. Just a month after the range was installed, the island hosted the annual TT race in which 40,000 race fans hit the streets to watch the 37.73-mile high-speed course carved out of the island’s public roads.
“TT week is a really big event and normally operationally we have a ceiling height that we cannot push through,” says Rob. “This year, with the new Kiremko, we pushed through it and pushed through it by some way.
“Turnover is up, service speeds are up, customers aren’t waiting as long, the food is going out quicker so it’s all positive.”
Utilising the latest frying range technology Rob is enjoying how user-friendly his new frying range is, particularly the new Fry digital controls. He adds: “I love the fact the range tells you what to do so it will beep and say, shake your chips. From a staffing point of view, it’s taken the skill level out of the job which, for me as an employer, is great. I’ve now got somebody else in my business who I’ve taught to cook in the last month or two just because the range tells them to do this or to do that. They just have to follow the processes.
“Just by the simplicity of the range, I’ve now got redundancy in the business and that is definitely what I needed.”
Impressed with the recovery speed of the pans, Rob was anticipating a significant gas saving and when his first gas bill came through, he wasn’t disappointed, adding: “I’ve gone from three pans to four pans but my gas bill has stayed the same – and that’s taking into account the fact gas has gone up in price. I’d say the new range is about 35% more efficient than the old one.
“So there are no extra running costs with my Kiremko at all, which means if we’re taking an extra £50-60,000 in the year, that’s pure margin.”
With Bourne Plaice recording some of its best ever months, Rob is pleased he invested when he did, adding: “When all these price hikes were coming in, I thought, right we’ve got to take more money. That’s the only real way to dig ourselves out of the situation. The new range couldn’t have come at a better time. We wanted the ability to take extra cash and the range is doing exactly that.”
As well as trusting KFE to design a range that fitted the new demands of the business, Rob also looked to them for advice on redesigning the shop to ensure it reached its full potential.
“I have never put more trust in anyone as an individual or as a company. Bourne Plaice is my business and has been for 10 years,” explains Rob. “It provides everything for my family, it’s crucial to providing an income stream. I literally said, here’s my golden egg, smash it up, and they did and I’m really pleased because KFE haven’t just sold me a range, they’ve remodelled the entire business.
“It’s blown all my expectations out the water. I wanted something radical and that is exactly what KFE came up with. Yes, it involved structural engineers and planning permission, but I didn’t care because I knew this was a one-off, proper job.
“The business is absolutely bomb-proof for ten years – and then we’ll go again!”