Whalley fish and chip shop staff abused due to price hikes

The National Federations of Fish Friers, a British trade association for the fish and chips trade, is asking consumers to continue to support their local fish and chip shop. 

The Friary in Whalley released a statement earlier this month asking customers to “go elsewhere” if they don’t like the price of items after staff were sworn at.

In a statement, they said: “As most people are well aware nothing is as cheap as it used to be and prices do unfortunately have to go up.

“However, we don’t appreciate being sworn at. If you don’t like [our prices] then go elsewhere and leave it at that.

"We are all human beings at the end of the day and there is no need to be rude and abusive to our staff.”

Daniel Stevenson, owner of the fish and chip shop, says instances of abuse are on the increase.

He said the shop door has been slammed and staff have been told to ‘f*** off’ by customers who do not agree with the price of items.

He said: “When you have a few hundred customers through the door each week you are never going to please everyone.

“What we have noticed in the last three to six months is that abuse is becoming a lot more frequent.

“As a consumer, you have a right to shop where you want. If you think something is too expensive you can shop elsewhere.

“What is grating on myself and other staff members is when people say ’f*** off, I am not f***ing paying that’ and slamming the door.

“Some of the people who have done it have kids with them. You wonder what sort of example they are setting.

“This is happening weekly and it’s just not good enough. It’s not a nice thing for staff to experience.

"Thankfully, they are not our regular customers and are a small minority."

David is now urging the public to consider why fish and chip shops might be increasing their prices, citing the minimum wage increase, cost of products, VAT hikes, and soaring energy bills as some of the additional costs facing businesses at the minute.

Due to the Government’s single-use plastic ban, which prevents takeaways from using single-use polystyrene food and drinks containers for food and drink that is ready to be consumed, The Friary uses bio trays which costs the business an extra £150 per week.

“It’s great for the environment but businesses are expected to absorb the costs," he said.

Other fish and chip shops across the county have been hit by price increases and forced to adapt their businesses as a result.

Deryn Regan, co-owner of the award-winning Westend Fish and Chips in Oswaldtwistle, says she cried after receiving her gas and electric bills when the cost of living crisis began.

Lesley and Deryn Regan, owners of Westend Fish and Chips in Oswaldtwistle (Image: Deryn Regan)

The team has had to reduce portion sizes and absorb some of the costs to combat price hikes.

She said: “When prices started to increase I was concerned. At points, I was in tears when we got our gas and electric bill through the post.

“The cost of living crisis has been hard. We have looked at our menu and tried to make more affordable meals.

"We now have a ‘light bite option’ and one-pot meals, which are smaller and more affordable.

“The price of fish and chips these days is quite expensive which is why we offer smaller portions that are more affordable.

“We appreciate times are hard - they are hard for us as well. The cost of our produce has gone up but we want to uphold the quality of our products instead of buying cheap.”

Deryn wants the public to understand fish and chips are no longer a ‘poor man's meal’.

She said: “It’s a constant battle and we are constantly reviewing our products and portions.

“We want to educate the public that fish and chips are no longer a cheap meal and that we have to portion control because our profit margins are so small.

“We have been absorbing the costs for a while and haven’t done a price increase for more than a year now. We are floating by instead of trying to make a huge profit.”

While the team hasn’t faced abuse from customers, Deryn says she will support business owners who have.

She said: “As an industry we try and stick together. I don’t want anyone to face abuse for increasing prices as everybody has to make a living.

“We will support each other and any other fish and chip shops in the trade.”

Nick Don, manager of Castle Chippy in Clitheroe, said it has zero tolerance for abuse at the shop.

He said: “We have not experienced any form of abuse over the price of our food, there is the odd comment but nothing that we would class as abusive language.

“If any customer were abusive, they would be asked to leave and barred from the premises”.

Nick said the business offers smaller meals and gives away vouchers, to adapt to cost of living price hikes.

He said: “We have really tried to keep our prices down by absorbing price rises even though our prices of produce differ each week. 

“Due to the new minimum wage increase and lack of support for small businesses, we have to make small increases to our prices as we have to find additional money to make up the shortfall."

Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers and owner of Skippers of Euxton fish and chip shop, said: "As an industry, we have been cushioning consumers as much as we can from increases but from the conflict in Ukraine, energy prices, and increases in commodities such as potatoes and more recently the increase in the living wage we have had to pass some increases on to customers. 

"That being said we are still great value compared to other options out there and we will continue to try and keep price increases to a minimum.

"We hoped that the Government would see sense in the budget and reduce VAT for the hospitality sector, to help consumers and businesses.

"Small, independent hospitality businesses are under pressure. We think most consumers understand. We hope they will continue to support their local fish and chip shop."