LUX Xmas 2018

51 Penaluna’s Famous Fish & Chips is a village takeaway & restaurant, just off the Heads of the Valleys (A465) on the foot of the Brecon Beacons between Merthyr & Swansea. Recently, Penaluna’s found success in LUXlife’s 2018’s Leaders in Luxury: Food and Drink where they were titled as the Most Reputable Fish & Chip Restaurant – Wales. On the back of this win, we profiled the firm and spoke to Owner, Lee who provided us with a detailed insight into the fine establishment. Penaluna’s is a traditional fish & chip shop, where customer satisfaction is of the highest priority. Customers who enjoy quality Fish & Chips travel from far and wide, as such the team at Penaluna’s rely heavily on customer approval and have experienced a 250% increase in footfall over the last four years. Penaluna’s offer a traditional Fish & Chip meal, conscious of individual needs provide a range of alternative items not normally found in a Fish & Chip Shop. In addition to this, other dietary needs are satisfied by Gluten Free Battered Fish, Battered Haloumi or Tofu, with a range of sauces and gravy to add to the experience. Penaluna’s are a National Federation of Fish Friers Quality Award Holder and are MSC Certified. The company is exposed to intense scrutiny of its business operation, from humble record keeping through preparation, cooking and presentation. Going into detail about the team at Penaluna’s, Lee begins by explaining how he ensures that each member of the team are aware of the firm’s aims and behaves accordingly. “Here at Penaluna’s, our staff have their own closed social media page, where they can keep up to date with trends, activities and every week we detail performance items of products like potato usage. “In addition to this, the teams are drawn from the local area and aged from 16 – 60, providing a blend of experience and added enthusiasm. 1808LU20 It’s vitally important to mix the groups to allow more experienced to help train younger members. Also, the staff have a newsletter which is distributed to the teams and includes more intense detail of topics, which may not have been discussed on our social media page.” When discussing what it is like to work within such a competitive industry, Lee informs us of the ways in which he ensures that Penaluna’s stands out from their competitors. “At Penaluna’s, we hope that we stand out due to the quality of both our produce and service. It is not an easy task, as inevitably there are some customers who have greater expectations than what a company can deliver. As such, we focus on what we can achieve, we review all compliments as well as the complains with the team, never passing blame as we appreciate the effort they put in, we try to analyse the detail and if necessary we all put something in to improve.” Bringing the interview to a close, Lee reveals the developments within the wider food and drink market that he foresees, noting on the ways the team at Penaluna’s will adapt around them. “Independent Fish & Chip Shops compete with National Brands and Chains, and as such we need to develop a range of products to compete at these levels. This means that we all work together and in harmony and should remember that our product has a National image. “Customers should enjoy the experience of eating out, which is why we need to ensure by development and training that their expectations are exceeded, it’s not just us it’s for the industry.” Looking ahead to what the future holds, Penaluna’s have a variety of plans in the pipeline. Some of the plans include a change to the take away, extending the restaurant, giving customers a new experience, developing the brand and producing a wide range of alternative street friendly foods. All of these projects are all in development, although the extension is likely to be the first which will provide some of the facilities and resources to complete a few of the others. Company: Penaluna’s Famous Fish & Chips Address: 36 High Street, Hirwaun, Rhondda Cynon Taf, CF44 9SW, UK Telephone: 01685 811522 Web Address: www.penalunas.co.uk Serving Success Taste