Survival of the fittest

Even the wet, grey and blustery weather on the day I visited Papa’s Barn in Ditton, Kent, couldn’t put a dampener on the spirits of brothers Michael and Theo Papa-Adams. They are just happy to be back in business.
Nineteen months ago the fish and chip restaurant and takeaway that their father opened in 1992 was engulfed in flames, leaving just a charcoaled shell. “I got the call at 4am in the morning to say the alarm was going off, but because we’d had really bad weather – there was heavy snow everywhere – I thought perhaps a sign had fallen down and that it was a false alarm,” explains Michael. “Even when I saw the blue flashing lights of the police and fire brigade it didn’t register, but then I saw the firemen and the flames. It was just devastating.” Michael and Theo had lost everything; nothing was salvageable.
With planning permission and licenses to reapply for, insurance companies to negotiate with and builders to co-ordinate, it was a long and drawn out processes getting the business back on its feet. In the time it took to reopen the world was a very different place with a host of new eating out establishments having opened up, VAT increasing from 15% to 20%, and the cost of most key ingredients spiralling upwards at a rate the pair would never have predicted. At one point, Michael and Theo even had to deal with a gang of opportunists looting the burnt out shell of anything worth any value. Keeping the brothers going was the memory of their father who had sold his house 20 years ago to buy the site that the shop occupies.
“It was a hard, hard time after the fire, and we had choices,” explains Michael. “We did wonder whether we had reached the end of our stay here and whether we should sell the site on. There were a lot of easier options available to us, but we chose the hardest one and we’re glad we did because it’s for our dad. He gave us this opportunity and we took it and it’s given us a good living over the last few years.”
Another huge push for the pair was the support from the local community with customers pledging their allegiance to Papa’s and forgoing fish and chips until the shop was up and running again. “We never realised how popular the shop was. We’ve been here all this time and it’s not until you’re on the outside looking in that you see it. It was just amazing and gave us the strength to persevere.”
And here they are 19 months later with a business that is bigger and better than ever. And if the pair had any remaining doubts about the shop’s popularity, opening day certainly put pay to that with Theo standing outside marshalling the traffic before the police arrived to take over. “It was meant to be a low-key opening but it was anything but. As soon as the first few cars started turning in it just drew everyone in. After everything we went through last year it felt amazing to be open again.”
The shop is the same size as before and houses a restaurant at one end and the takeaway at the other, just as it once did. However, it has a much more contemporary feel than the previous business with white-washed walls throughout, and in the restaurant a raised ceiling giving an atrium-feel and letting natural light flood in. “We didn’t want to go too modern and alienate our older customers as they are our bread and butter. What we’ve achieved is a lovely, comfortable environment in which to enjoy fish and chips without being pretentious – people still have their red sauce on the table.”
A viewing window has been incorporated in to the restaurant giving customers a bird’s eye view of prepping and frying and putting all of the staff on show. What’s more, a coffee bar area has been introduced to bring customers in during the times of the day when there’s a lull in people traditionally eating fish and chips. Serving barista-made coffee alongside pastries and cream cakes, it’s certainly having the desired effect and is even bringing in a new type of clientele – business men and women who are increasingly using the restaurant for meetings.  
Heading up the coffee bar is Gavin Lewis, who before the fire had been with Papa’s for 16 years starting out as the potato boy. He sought employment with coffee giant Starbucks where he took on a host of new skills, not least how to prepare today’s endless list of speciality coffees. When he heard that Papa’s was re-opening he didn’t hesitate at getting back onboard. “That was another hard part of the fire that we had to deal with, having to let the staff go. But when the opportunity arose to come back many of them jumped at the chance, which eased mine and Theo’s worries and concerns as there were familiar faces to greet our old customers.”
Over in the kitchen area there’s a new addition to the equipment – a Rational (www.rational-online.com) Combi-Oven. It’s a piece of kit Michael’s had his eye on for some time and, although at the moment it’s only utilised for baked fish and grills, it’s something Michael is hoping will help the businesses diversify in the future.
Without a doubt, however, what stands out the most is the impressive 7-pan Florigo (www.fryingsolutions.co.uk) island range, which services both the restaurant the takeaway. It’s an extravagance which has surpassed all of Michael’s expectations, not least in terms of recovery times. And with promises of high efficiency, for once Michael is eagerly awaiting the shop’s gas bill to see for himself the energy savings it will bring.
Despite all the changes, Michael assures me that what has remained the same is the quality of food on offer. Michael always looks at least three weeks ahead to ensure he has the best produce available coming in and that its suitable for the business and its customers. “The problem with fish and chips is that it really needs a lot of work as you are dealing with fresh produce. Potatoes for example are in the lap of the Gods if they get frostbitten or not. Out of all the fast food industries I would say fish and chips is the hardest one to maintain a good standard.”
All the fish is delivered in fresh every morning from Peterhead, Billingsgate and Grimsby and includes cod, haddock, plaice, rock, halibut, skate, salmon, scampi and lemon sole.
Filleted by Michael or Theo, it is offered fried, grilled or baked and can be accompanied by freshly peeled and chipped maris pipers or an array of sides, salads and new potatoes.
There are a number of welcome surprises on the menu including a children’s salmon – something the shop is seeing grow rapidly in popularity - and plaice and lemon sole both on the bone. “Nothing beats a nice whole fish with the bones in it – I find the fish is sweeter this way,” says Michael.
Fish to be fried is coated in a thin layer of batter before it’s cooked at around 190°C. “I prefer to have more fish and less batter as it tastes better and it means when the fish is dropped in the pan it seals nicely and steams the inside just perfectly.”
Using Henry Jones Normal Batter Mix (www.kerryfoodservice.co.uk) for the past 20 years, making up batter is something that comes naturally to Michael now. “We don’t stick to a regime of adding a certain amount of water or anything, it’s in the feel of it and we know when it feels right.
“In the early years we tried so many different batters but we found Henry Jones does the job. We always get a golden colour that we like and once it’s cooked it holds its crispiness.”
With the new restaurant and takeaway having only just opened a few weeks ago, it’s still too early for Michael and Theo to get an accurate idea of how business will fare. While some customers are die hard Papa’s fans, for some it’s the curiosity factor that’s drawing them in. But on the whole it’s looking promising with Michael estimating trade to be up by about 20%.
So what’s been the secret of Papa’s success? “We’re a family-run business and we genuinely care about the customers that come through the door,” says Michael. “Once through the door we have to show them the respect they deserve as they have decided to come in here. That’s something that we’ve worked on more than anything else and that’s how we’ve got a reputation for being very personal. Customers have faith in us and they know they are getting a good product.”
With a free cup of tea or coffee offered to customers waiting for their orders in the takeaway, and immaculately dressed staff – Michael and Theo who fillet fish, mix batter and fry all day are dressed in a shirt, tie and apron – it’s not surprising that customers keep coming back. “We don’t like having too many products waiting. We like to cook to order, which means we put a lot of work on ourselves but we wouldn’t do it any other way. By the time customers have finished their tea or coffee their order is ready.”
So as the old calluses start to harden up again and as Michael and Theo’s worries about building works being completed are replaced by day-to-day concerns like whether the fish is going to arrive on time, have they learnt anything from their experiences?
“Absolutely. More so than anything else it’s taught us how easily you can lose everything,” says a very humble Michael. “It was a hard time and it was something we never expected to happen. You’re strong, fit and healthy, your business is going well and you don’t think anything is going to take that away from you. Then all of a sudden you are left with nothing. But getting back on our feet has opened our eyes and made us think we could open another Papa’s. It’s given us the confidence – we were worried to shut for two weeks to refurbish in case our customers didn’t come back. But now we don’t fear progress.”
With that said I’m just hoping a Papa’s Barn opens near me soon. I’ll be first in that queue of traffic!