From truffles to chips

There can't be many fine-dining chefs who harbour ambitions to own their own fish and chip shop. Yet Irish-born Paul Gallen and Englishman Andrew Morrison recently became the proud proprietors of The Chipper, a traditional fish and chip shop on the corner of 42nd and Queen's Boulevard, New York.

Not exactly a natural career move for private fine-dining chef to the rich and famous (Morrison) and director of catering for Restaurant Associates at the American Museum of Natural History (Gallen), but both men are relishing the challenge.

"I'm really enjoying it," says Morrison. "You get to chat to your customers instead of being locked in a kitchen. Whether it's truffles or chips, a lot of the day-to-day stuff of running a restaurant isn't much different. I don't envisage getting bored."

The Chipper - the Irish slang equivalent of the "chippy" - opened six weeks ago in New York's Sunnyside district, close to Manhattan. Morrison and Gallen, with help from investors, put $200,000 (£121,000) into the renovation of the dilapidated site, the contemporary design and UK-bought equipment. They employ four staff and pay $3,000 (£1,800) a month for the 15-year lease. Revenue projections for the coming year are $1m (£608,000).

The menu offers the usual suspects of cod, haddock, smoked cod and sausages in batter along with mushy peas, curry sauce, gravy and baked beans. Saveloys are not on the menu, although several customer requests have prompted Morrison to look for a supplier. Chips are authentically fat and the batter is from an Irish recipe.

Selling traditional fish and chips in New York is less risky than it sounds. There are already four chippies in the city. English Harbour Fish & Chips opened two shops in Manhattan last year, while The Chip Shop operates in Park Slope. A Salt and Battery, run by the owners of the English restaurant Tea & Sympathy, opened last year in Brooklyn.

Morrison firmly believes the market is out there. Sunnyside is a developing area rich with Irish and UK expatriates longing for a taste of home. It's only a couple of blocks from the Museum of Modern Art and, if New York is successful in its bid for the 2012 Olympics, it will be near the Olympic Village.

The partners, who between them have lived in the USA for 24 years, are on a mission. "The USA doesn't have fish and chips, and at the moment most of our customers are made up of people who we haven't had to sell the idea to - expats or those who've been to England," says Morrison. "But I think we could be a destination restaurant. We want to make America aware of fish and chips and show them that it's natural and unadulterated compared with other fast food - a healthy alternative."

Morrison buys ingredients fresh or has them made in-house, and sausages are delivered daily by a nearby Irish butcher. Detailed research has gone into the recipe for batter and sauces and the pair took a development trip to Ireland and the North of England, asking experienced chip shop owners for advice.

So far, business has been good, with monthly projections on target. Plans for a further two sites are on track, providing revenue targets are met, and Morrison plans to start a home-delivery service soon.

But how do New Yorkers react to the UK's national dish? Once they've got over the strangely shaped chips, they seem to like the concept, says Morrison. "They like mushy peas - they are drawn to them out of curiosity. They even like the curry sauce."

The Chipper

41-28 Queens Boulevard, Sunnyside, NY 11104
Tel: 00 1 718 729 8730

Proprietors: Paul Gallen and Andrew Morrison
Staff: six
Average spend: $10 (£6)
Investment: $200,000 (£121,000)
Lease: $3,000 (£1,800) a month for 15 years with five-year option
Projected annual revenue: $1m (£608,000)