It’s been dubbed one of the best fish and chip shops in Worcester – but what is life like behind the scenes of the takeaway hooking its customers?
Five years ago, Louka Nicodemou decided to continue his family’s chip shop trade and became the third generation of fryers after opening Hooked with his wife Lia.
The 30-year-old has since built up the Broadway Grove chippy by adding unique and bizarre battered twists to the menu and rewarding his loyal customers.
“I have tried to modernise things so it’s more than your traditional fish and chips,” said Mr Nicodemou, whose grandfather moved to the UK from Cyprus to open his first chip shop in the 1950s.
Hooked has become renowned in the city for serving battered mince pies at Christmas, battered cream eggs over Easter and jalapeno bites and mac and cheese throughout the years.
However, its modernised menu has not compromised the quality of its fish and chips, with many reviewers taking to Google to name its fish the best in the city.
“The main thing is then getting your product right- we are targeting all audiences but we focus on our main products,” added Mr Nicodemou.
“It is not the most glamorous job, but when you get it right, it can be a good job – or used to be, because of the current climate.”
Mr Nicodemou admitted that one of the main problems facing many chip shops nowadays is the rising cost of produce. He said the price of fish is no longer profitable, having risen by 32% in three months.
“It is really crazy,” he added.
“We are almost making a loss on it but we do it because we have to sell fish and chips. Quality always has to be the best, and we do not want to shorten our sizes too.”
However, Mr Nicodemou said the success behind the couple’s business is all down to the customers who support them every day.
“We are really lucky because we have a really good customer base and everyone is loyal,” he added.
“We are busy, and without being busy, I don’t know how we would be able to stay open. It makes me feel for smaller businesses that aren’t busy.”
Source: Worcester News
Photo: Newsquest