An award-winning Bridlington chippy which famously dyed its fish blue during the Tour de Yorkshire is expanding thanks to a £112,000 funding package from Yorkshire Bank.

Audrey’s Fish & Chips has acquired premises next door to its existing site and created a new ground floor level restaurant area. The addition will enable the business to almost double the number of diners it can seat and will create disabled access for the first time. The business previously offered takeaways only on the ground floor with its 50-seat café located on the first floor.

The family-owned chip shop, which has been a Yorkshire Bank customer since it was established over 40 years ago, received a £112,000 funding package from Yorkshire Bank to help purchase the adjoining premises. The deal was delivered by Simon Walker, Relationship Manager in the Bank’s North Yorkshire Customer Banking Centre.

The business is currently owned by James Morrison, whose parents ran the business for 26 years before selling it to their nephew. James acquired the chippy from his cousin in 2013.
Since taking over James has modernised the décor throughout Audrey’s and worked hard to improve customer service. Last year Audrey’s was named Chip Shop of the Year by the Bridlington Free Press.

The chippy was also at the centre of a media storm last year when it dyed its fish batter blue to match blue and yellow decorations installed in the town during the first Tour de Yorkshire cycle race.

James said:

We’re getting busier and busier year on year, and even have to turn people away at peak times so when the owners of the sewing shop next door decided to retire it seemed like a great opportunity to expand.

My parents had actually tried to buy the premises when they ran Audrey’s but they failed to gain funding. Luckily, our relationship manager Simon Walker at Yorkshire Bank supported our plans and we were able to access the finance we required to realise our growth aspirations.

For me, one of the big benefits is that we will be able to seat people in wheelchairs and more families with pushchairs. At the moment, people have to climb a set of stairs to get to our café which means that some diners are excluded.

We’re also extremely proud that we are creating new jobs. We currently have 14 staff and we expect to recruit four new employees as a result of the expansion.

Thanks to Yorkshire Bank, our family business is benefiting the local community and helping us to keep Bridlington on the Yorkshire tourist map.

Simon Walker said:

Audrey’s has been with Yorkshire Bank since it first opened over 40 years ago, but over the past few years, James has worked hard to grow the business and attract new customers. It’s not unusual to see people queuing out the door now, so having a new seating area will be a great boost not just for Audrey’s but also for the local community. As a seaside town, Bridlington’s economy depends on tourism and Audrey’s has become a visitor attraction in its own right.

As economic conditions continue to improve, Yorkshire Bank remains focused on supporting the growth ambitions of businesses throughout the North of England and beyond.

Yorkshire Bank recently strengthened its support for UK SMEs by becoming the first to partner with the British Business Bank under its ENABLE Guarantees scheme. Up to £125m of new lending by Yorkshire Bank, guaranteed by the British Business Bank, will help more small businesses achieve their growth ambitions.

Additionally, the Bank runs a series of lending initiatives for UK businesses, designed to encourage growth for new and existing customers. As well as capital-free periods for up to five years, the Bank has also introduced high percentage funding for businesses to purchase trading premises.