Fish and chip shop reels in investment

A FISH and chip shop which dyed its fish blue during the Tour de Yorkshire is expanding and creating jobs thanks to a £112,000 funding package.

Audrey’s Fish & Chips in Bridlington has acquired premises next door to its existing site and created a new ground floor level restaurant area.

The addition will enable the business to almost double the number of diners it can seat and will create disabled access for the first time. The business previously offered takeaways only on the ground floor with its 50-seat café located on the first floor.

The family-owned chip shop, which has been a Yorkshire Bank customer since it was established more than 40 years ago, received the funding package from Yorkshire Bank to help purchase the adjoining premises.

The business is currently owned by James Morrison, whose parents ran the business for 26 years before selling it to their nephew. Mr Morrison acquired the shop from his cousin in 2013.  

The business was also at the centre of a media storm last year when it dyed its fish batter blue to match blue and yellow decorations installed in the town during the first Tour de Yorkshire cycle race.

Mr Morrison said: “We’re getting busier and busier year on year, and even have to turn people away at peak times so when the owners of the sewing shop next door decided to retire it seemed like a great opportunity to expand.  

“My parents had actually tried to buy the premises when they ran Audrey’s but they failed to gain funding. Luckily, our relationship manager Simon Walker at Yorkshire Bank supported our plans and we were able to access the finance we required to realise our growth aspirations.

“For me, one of the big benefits is that we will be able to seat people in wheelchairs and more families with with pushchairs. At the moment, people have to climb a set of stairs to get to our café which means that some diners are excluded.

“We’re also extremely proud that we are creating new jobs. We currently have 14 staff and we expect to recruit four new employees as a result of the expansion.”

The deal was delivered by Simon Walker, relationship manager in the bank’s North Yorkshire Customer Banking Centre.

He said: “Audrey’s has been with Yorkshire Bank since it first opened over 40 years ago, but over the past few years, James has worked hard to grow the business and attract new customers. It’s not unusual to see people queuing out the door now, so having a new seating area will be a great boost not just for Audrey’s but also for the local community. As a seaside town, Bridlington’s economy depends on tourism and Audrey’s has become a visitor attraction in its own right.”