Less than a year after opening, The Fish and Chip Co in Grahamstown has been named best standard of operation in the national franchise.
Less than a year after opening, The Fish and Chip Co in Grahamstown has been named best standard of operation in the national franchise.
The awards held in Centurion, Pretoria, last month were contested by 350 franchises around the country. Only a few received awards.
"I am very proud. Hard work pays at the end of the day. What you put in is what you get out," said co-owner, Dharmesh Dullabh.
He runs the family business with his wife, Meenakshi Kara. "Its a remarkable achievement," said Kara. "We are working with staff who have minimum experience. Working together as a team has helped us to come this far. We get really busy but I think the Grahamstown community has accepted us well and that has contributed to our getting this award."
Dullabh said they had been judged on the quality of the food they serve, store hygiene and service excellence. "We always wanted to be our own bosses," said Kara. "Dharmesh's father has always spoken about the lifestyle of Grahamstown as compared to Johannesburg."
They decided to leave The Big Smoke and open a business here. Kara said apart from themselves as working owners, the company had eight staff members – all Grahamstown locals.
"We chose people from underprivileged backgrounds, people who were inexperienced. We wanted to empower them," said Kara. "We've selected those who have families to feed."
