A fish and chip restaurant in Gloucestershire has “shocked” its customers after raising its prices by 60% in three months. The Nippy Chippy in Stonehouse has increased the cost of traditional cod and chips to £12.50 and haddock to £10.
The restaurant has blamed the sharp increase in prices on reduced fish quotas in the North Sea. In response, the Government says the new deal, signed this year, helps maintain sustainable fish levels. Manager Brad Lee said hungry punters had mostly been polite about the price hike but added there had been “a few shocked faces”.
Mr Lee said offering different types of fish has not gone down well with customers in the past, explaining why his restaurant was sticking with cod and haddock, even if it was more expensive.
“We’ve tried different types of white fish but we’ve not had that good feedback on them,” he said.
“If you get cod, you know what you’re getting, it’s nice and tasty, it’s fluffy, and then when you’ve got the batter over it it makes nice and flakey, but maybe it’s something we look at in the future if it goes too high.”
According to the BBC, Mr Lee said most customers were accepting of the price increases, but some were less than impressed. He said: “We’ve had a few shocked faces when customers come in but once you explain what’s actually happening people are understanding.
“Fish and chips is a Friday night treat mainly, it’s still the number one eaten thing in the UK. There is a crazy amount that we eat as a nation.”
This year’s annual fishing quota, negotiated between the UK, EU and Norway has a cap of 25,028 tonnes on cod – a drop of 20% compared to last year.
There is also a limit of 112,400 tonnes of haddock – a 5% reduction from 2024’s catch cap.
