00:00Across the country, the iconic fish and chip shop is struggling to survive, with 500 of them closing every year.
00:07But Merino Fish Bar in Sittingbourne is bucking the trend as it marks three decades in business.
00:15Owner Andreas Mathew, a third generation Cypriot chippy boss, told us how they have kept the business alive after opening
00:23in 1996.
00:24I think it's fantastic. I mean, you know, we've been here 30 years now, started off with my dad and
00:33obviously now me.
00:34We have to adapt the way our menu, you know, back 10, 15 years ago, we used to sell a
00:41lot more fish and chips.
00:43Whereas now we sell the same amount of burgers as we do fish and chips or, you know, we sell,
00:49we've got our Greek menu as well, which we sell a lot of.
00:51So it's all about adapting in this business.
00:54But the Merino story started 30 years before Andreas's dad, George Mathew, opened the London Road Eatery.
01:02The late Peter MacAleas started it in 1966 with a shop in Margate.
01:08My granddad, he moved over in the 50s, was working in Birmingham, various restaurants, takeaways, mainly cooking.
01:18And then, yeah, he opened up his first shop in Margate.
01:21He moved down from Birmingham, opened up his first shop in Margate in 1966.
01:27And, yeah, he was very busy.
01:29I mean, Margate at that time was one of the best places to go in the UK.
01:34You know, stories I heard and old videos that I've seen and, you know.
01:38So, yeah, he was very successful in Margate.
01:42Andreas is currently waiting for the 22nd of June when his shop could win three awards in the English Fish
01:49and Chip Awards 2026.
01:52But, yeah, we've been put up for the best menu award, best dining fish and chips and the best fish
02:00and chip shop in the south, which is absolutely amazing.
02:04We've never entered anything like this before.
02:06And, yeah, we're just so grateful to all of our customers that have voted for us.
02:11Joe Crossley for KMTV.
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