The owners of a Leeds chippy have admitted they couldn’t have taken over a chippy at a “worse time” with the ever-rising cost of fish, which has “quadrupled” in price.
Tingley Bar Fisheries first opened in 1945, according to owners Dave Sykes, 32, and Mark Beever. They took over the business in March, just as Brexit, Covid-19 and Russia's invasion of Ukraine all combined to make a massive impact on the cost of getting fish from overseas following the chippy closing down in February.
Wakefield man Dave decided to take over the shop in Bridge Street in this challenging time as not only did he think fish and chips were a “staple” British takeaway dish, he felt it was important to retain part of Tingley’s history by keeping the fish shop operating.
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Dave and Mark, have an eye for business and worked out a 'foolproof' plan to keep takeaway profitable. The pair, who also own bars Mex Bar in Wakefield and The Prospect in Ossett, have expanded the range of what the shop sells.
They’ve added hot and cold sandwiches in the mornings, jacket potatoes, toasties and kebabs, pizzas and burgers in the evening to the menu.
But Dave is quick to add that Tingley Bar Fisheries is still a traditional chippy and they haven’t skimped on the quality of their trademark dish, which is made in “proper beef dripping”.
'Fish has literally quadrupled'
Dave said: “We’ve been expanding the range but we’re a proper traditional Yorkshire fish and chip shop. We couldn’t have really took over a fish shop at a worse time. Fish has literally quadrupled in the last year with everything that’s going on with the Russia situation.
“It’s always been staple in British food, especially British takeaways. I’m not from the area but history is important, it’s important to keep it there. If I didn’t purchase it, it would have probably been turned into something else, another type of takeaway venue."
The sanctions levelled against Russia for invading Ukraine caused import prices of fish from all other locations to surge, according to the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), as so many shops depended on Russian-caught fish. So now the demand for fish from other locations is far higher.
The business duo have also made changes to the exterior of the shop to get more customers in. Dave said the sign needed changing as “a lot of people didn’t realise it was a fish shop”, it now reads 'Tingley Bar Fisheries & Sandwich Shop'. He's also commissioned an artist to do artwork around the shop front. Plus he’s planning on getting the business on Just Eat.
Dave adds that he’s learned a lot about the business since opening, with old regulars coming in and telling them about the history of the shop. Ever since he opened, he’s said it’s been a success with customers happy with the quality of the food.
Dave said: “We’ve actually had customers coming in and telling us the history of the shop. It’s called Tingley ‘Bar’ because it [Bridge Street] used to be the toll road into Morley.
“We had someone coming in whose great-grandad first opened it, before 1945. They said it was just like a hut in the road where he sold fish and chips.”
Dave has said his staff have been “really good” since he opened. Dave and Mark's partners, Jamie-Lee Sowden and Nicola Beever, respectively, have also been really supportive and a big part of the business. Plus, Dave promises “high quality and decent portions” to those who wish to visit, while “trying to keep the price down for people”.
