Everybody's talking

When Panayiotis Photiou left The Dolphin Fish Bar in Eastbourne, where he had worked all his life, to head up the family’s latest venture Odyssey, just a few miles down the road, he knew he had to offer something different.
For one he didn’t want to be in competition with the other three shops that the family owned in the area, and secondly this was not simply a case of taking over an existing business, it involved creating a totally new customer base from scratch.
Located in the town’s high street, among popular stores such as Debenhams and Marks & Spencer, the once derelict Job Centre is now a modern 46 seater restaurant with space for a further 28 outside, and a takeaway.
“It’s been challenging and it’s taken three years for the business to really take off,” says Panny. “The first two years we had absolutely awful weather and then the recession hit, but we are now doing really well. In fact my bank manager came to see me last week and couldn’t believe we are doing so well at a time when many other businesses are struggling.”
Generating a revenue of £40,000 a week from fish and chips alone, you could say Odyssey is doing slightly better than “really well”. And it’s something Panny puts down to a combination of factors. “It’s not just one thing, it’s everything we do all put together from the image of the shop, the product we are serving, the friendly and professional staff and the fact that we keep the menu continually fresh.”
You certainly can’t accuse this shop of resting on its laurels. It runs regular promotions, has downloadable vouchers on its website, engages in radio and newspaper promotions and takes to the street offering customers the chance to sample its delights. The shop has even teamed up with the local cinema to offer a free ticket with a spend in the restaurant of £35 or more, which is helping generate business for both parties.
Odyssey’s menu also plays a huge part in drawing customers in – and retaining them.  It features a host of fresh fish such as cod, line-caught haddock, plaice, skate, scampi and calamari as well as a variety of salads, omelettes and old favourites such as bangers and mash and liver and bacon. Grilled fish, barbeque chicken, green salads and jacket potatoes, meanwhile, are recent additions to the menu providing a healthy alternative and that all important point of difference. ”We’re always looking for the next big thing and to better what we did last year as it’s getting harder and harder to get customers to spend,” explains Panny.
But nothing has had more of an impact on sales than the recent introduction of Fusion – a new lighter coating from Kerry Foodservice (www.kerry-foodservice.co.uk). Used instead of traditional batter mix, the coating absorbs less oil, giving a lighter texture to the fish. “I wanted to add something new to the menu and I knew as soon as I tried Fusion it was going to be a big hit.”
It seems Panny was right as the ‘light bite’ as it is referred to on the menu is creating a real buzz around town, not only generating repeat business but also attracting new customers who may previously have chosen not to enjoy traditional fish and chips. “It’s really helped drive sales as people are talking amongst themselves in the town, saying Odyssey is doing the light bite and word is getting around. It’s really helped put us on the map. And that’s the main thing – getting customers in the door and then that’s our opportunity to keep them coming back.”
One such customer is Emma Head, who was eating in the restaurant with her two young children Beau and Riley. Normally she would have passed on the opportunity to tuck into a fish supper, but since the restaurant has started selling the light bite, she has been hooked.
“I’m so pleased that Odyssey has started selling lighter bite fish,” she says. “I’ve always avoided eating battered fish and didn’t ever have anything when my family wanted fish and chips, but now I just have a fish coated in Fusion and it’s great. It’s much lighter and really delicious. I don’t feel as though I’m missing out any more and my kids are happy because they get to eat their favourite fish and chips more often!
The dry coating is easy to use: the fish is quickly dipped in water, laid into the tray of Fusion Coater, then covered completely by hand before being put to one side to rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.  
“Once the preparation is done, that’s when you really start to see the benefits as the fish cooks in half the time,” says Panny. “And you don’t get any wastage like you can with batter because it’s a dry product so there is no lifespan on it. You just keep using it until it runs out.”
To help drive sales Panny has introduced a buy one get one free promotion which he is running through the local paper. It comes with an assurance that anyone who tries the new lighter bite and doesn’t like it can have their money back. So far he’s not had to offer a single refund. In fact, he’s sold 1,000 portions of the light bite fish in the first four weeks of it launching.
Panny has also enrolled the help of his waiting staff to promote the new offering to his customers. “We all tried the new product beforehand so everyone has experienced what it tastes like and because of that we are all quite confident that the customer is going to like it.”
Being the savvy businessman that Panny is, he’s taken the opportunity of selling the light bite at a premium – pricing it at £1 over the normal £5.99 for traditional battered fish. “We wanted to put our prices up, so how do we do that? We put something new on the menu that nobody else has.”
Something else that has really taken off this year has been the introduction of Odyssey’s delivery service. Offering free delivery within a three mile radius and with a minimum order of £12, it’s currently generating 20 orders a day. Even at the lowest end of the order value, that’s nearly £7,000 a month in additional turnover.
It’s been a big investment for Panny and one that he didn’t take lightly. It was either hitting the road or developing the additional 2,500sqft of space he has above the shop into a further dining area for 160 covers. Priced-up and looking at a refit bill of nearly half a million pounds to do so, Panny opted for the delivery service on the bases it was cheaper to set up and would offer him a quicker return on his investment.
Having said that, Panny has paid out for a new online takeaway ordering system whereby customers can pay for their food by Paypal, he’s purchased the latest state-of-the-art heated delivery system which guarantees food is maintained at 90°C without any sweating, he’s employed two drivers and bought a new delivery van branded in the shops livery.
“We were already doing very well in the restaurant but we just wanted to take it to the next level,” says Panny. “Being in the town centre most people use the restaurant facilities and we don’t get much passing trade – you know cars stopping and taking fish and chips home. This means in the evening the takeaway can get very quiet, especially in the winter.”
That’s when Panny believes the new delivery service will really come into its own when the nights start drawing in and customers decide not to leave the comfort of their own home. ”If we are doing really well now during the summer I can only imagine how busy we are going to be come the winter,” he remarks.
One other day part that is proving increasingly popular is the breakfast period from 9am to 11am with customers coming in for coffee. Serving around 60-70 cups a day, it’s a profitable sideline that doesn’t distract Panny too much from preparing for the lunch time trade. “We really want to grow the takeaway side and as I’m in anyway prepping the fish and potatoes it makes sense to be making money.”
Panny doesn’t cut any corners when it comes to his hot beverage offering serving organic and fairtrade tea and coffee. It’s another example of how far he’s prepared to go to stand out from the competition. “It’s something we’ve sold since we opened. We’re here to make money but at the same time we can help others who are not as fortunate as us and it doesn’t distract us from our core business.”