A chat with Nick Vass from Papas Fish & Chips!

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Nick Vass is a family man who has been in this industry a long time and has his own fish & chip story, he owns Papas Fish & Chips in Worksop which has had a brand new Florigo frying range fitted this year. The range has 2 high-efficiency flat bottom fish pans, 2 high-efficiency x3 basket chip pans, active triple filtration, halo lighting and 2 x4 pot bain maries and cup dispensers on each end of the range,  providing a smooth flow of service.

What’s your favourite thing about running your own Fish & Chip shop?

Having the ability to make a difference.

Describe your shop in 3 words.

Customer comes first.

Can you tell us a bit about you and your day to day life in the shop?

A family man with an amazing wife and 3 wonderful children that keep me on the level. I am half Norwegian, half Greek Cypriot so great genes to be in tune with both the fish sourcing and frying 🙂 I have had a very varied “career” – working for large companies, small companies, local government, projects and entrepreneurs – the lot. I also currently work on City Centre Christmas and beach events when not running my shop; what’s not to love about that. I generally prep the shop in the morning, handle deliveries, staffing, shop improvements, business development. I also like to fry on the busier days, so I don’t go stale!

What’s been the most challenging part of your Fish and Chip journey so far?

Taking on a business and investing significant amounts of money in replacing old equipment for the future without the benefit of a crystal ball to tell you if it would be worth it!

Do you have anything extra special on the menu?

I often get bored and add something to the menu. We’ve had everything from pigs in blankets to unicorn milkshakes and breaded baby bels. We will be introducing a new menu in the next month so who knows?!

Have you had any famous people visit your shop? If so, who?

Celebrity is very short lived these days – probably a good thing. Snooker player Steve Davis. We have quite a few local characters that visit frequently I would describe as pretty famous!

What’s your personal favourite chippy dish?

Grilled skate or battered Cod (can’t decide which but definitely loads of lemon), chips and a nice side salad.

What made you choose Florigo?

A unique product, a well thought out design and a quality build tailored to suit the future progression of my business.

Your Florigo is now nearly 3 months old, how are you finding it compared to life before the Florigo?

My previous range was 17 years old, so it was time for a change. The new range has definitely given me more certainty in delivering consistency of product and also more options to ensure our customers get great service.

What do you see for the future of Papa’s Fish and Chips?

I see a difficult year ahead for the industry as a whole with the recent potato troubles and the government hammering small businesses at every opportunity. That said, those that work hard will see it through and I remain very optimistic and excited about new avenues for developing the business at Papa’s over the next 2-3 years.

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