H. Salt Esq. Fish & Chips facts for kids

H. Salt Esq. Fish & Chips

H. Salt Fish & Chips street sign, circa 1969
Trade name	H. Salt, Esq. Authentic English Fish and Chips
Formerly	Salt's English Fish & Chips Shop
Type	Fast food restaurant
Founded	1965; 61 years ago (1965) in Sausalito, California, United States
Founder	Haddon Salt

H. Salt Esq. Fish & Chips was a restaurant chain that sold British-style fish and chips. It was started by Haddon Salt in Sausalito, California in 1965. Haddon Salt came from a family of expert fish cooks. Both his father and grandfather were known for making great fish and chips.

In 1969, a big company called KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) bought Salt's business. At that time, KFC was the largest fast-food company in the world. This sale made Haddon Salt one of the biggest owners of KFC shares.

However, KFC found it hard to make the H. Salt Esq. chain grow very big. So, in 1987, KFC decided to stop being involved with the H. Salt Esq. brand.

The Story of H. Salt Esq. Fish & Chips

Starting the Business

Haddon Salt was born in England in 1928. In 1964, he moved to California with his wife and three children. He had about $10,000 to start his new life. Salt believed his special fish and chips would be a hit in America. He said, "I decided to bring the business here because all the tourists told me if they had fish and chips in America like I cooked them, I'd have a great business."

In 1965, Salt opened his first shop in Sausalito, California. He called it "Salt's English Fish & Chips Shop."

His wife, Grace, managed the first shop. Meanwhile, Haddon Salt opened another store in Berkeley. They hoped to open many more shops across California. By 1966, their Sausalito store was selling fish and chips in a paper basket. They encouraged people to "eat fish as you walk along," just like in England.

By 1967, Salt had two more shops in Sunnyvale and Santa Cruz. Their name changed to "H. Salt, Esq. Authentic English Fish and Chips Shoppe."

Why the Name "H. Salt, Esq."?

When Haddon Salt wanted to let other people open his fish and chips stores (this is called franchising), marketing experts suggested using a very "English" name. They thought names like "British" or "London" would be good.

But Salt disagreed. He explained that in England, a good shop often uses the owner's name. He felt it showed pride and responsibility for the food. He said, "I insisted my name be on the sign." This meant he stood behind the quality of his product.

Special Cooking Equipment

Haddon Salt was also the main seller in the US and Canada for special frying machines made by Henry Nuttall in Britain. Salt made sure all his franchised shops used these machines.

He often talked about how important the right equipment was. He said, "We insist on special stoves to get the heat up proper and even enough to turn out decent fish and chips." These large machines were 18 feet long and had glass fronts. This way, customers could watch their food being cooked. Salt called these machines "the heart of the operation."

The "English" Look of the Stores

Salt wanted his shops to remind American customers of England. But he also made sure they were comfortable for Americans. He said the shops were "English" but would not "conflict with the food service Americans have come to expect."

The people working behind the counters wore uniforms that looked like traditional British street vendors. They wore red or white aprons, white caps, and old-fashioned white maid's caps.

Focus on Quality Food and Service

Haddon Salt knew that many American customers had never tried fish and chips before. He wanted to make sure they had the best experience. He said there might be a short wait for an order. This was because they cooked food "on request" to make sure it was "piping hot." He believed this was the only way to enjoy fish and chips.

Good customer service was also very important to Salt. He made sure his shop owners truly cared about their customers.

Selling to KFC

In 1968, Haddon Salt decided to sell his growing business to KFC. He explained his reasons in a documentary. He said his company was growing very fast, opening 500 stores. He realized it would be very hard to keep everything perfect as they grew so quickly.

He admired KFC because it was a leading food company. At that time, KFC was even bigger than McDonald's. When KFC first sold shares to the public, many of its franchise owners became very rich.

When KFC bought H. Salt's business, they planned to have 1,000 H. Salt Fish & Chips stores by 1973. KFC even ran ads to find new franchise owners. The ads showed Haddon Salt dressed like a proper English gentleman. In the ads, Salt promised to do for fish and chips what Colonel Sanders did for chicken. Salt continued to be the president of the H. Salt company, which was now part of KFC.

Changes Under KFC's Ownership

After buying H. Salt Esq., KFC started making many changes. They changed how franchises were sold and even the menu.

Franchise Changes

In 1969, KFC heavily advertised H. Salt Esq. franchise opportunities. They said they had already opened over 400 H. Salt stores. They promised new franchise owners would get everything they needed to succeed. This included guidance from KFC, special frying equipment, and secret batter ingredients.

KFC also raised the cost to open an H. Salt Esq. store. It went from $20,000 to $90,000. The first store under this new, higher fee opened in Louisville, Kentucky. When a new H. Salt Esq. store opened in Dayton, Ohio, in November 1969, it sold 2,300 orders of fish and chips on its first day!

Store and Menu Changes

In 1970, new H. Salt Esq. stores became bigger. They added 34 seats for customers. This was because many people wanted to sit down and eat, not just take their food to go.

In 1971, KFC tried adding shrimp to the menu, but Haddon Salt didn't like it. He said it "spoiled the taste of the fish." After Salt left the company in 1972, KFC added shrimp and other seafood items back to the menu.

KFC also started buying back many of the H. Salt Esq. stores that had been sold as franchises. By November 1969, KFC owned 464 H. Salt Esq. locations. But then, a year later, KFC started offering franchises again. Haddon Salt believed that franchise owners did a better job than company-owned stores.

New Owners and More Changes

In 1971, KFC itself was sold to another company called Heublein. Heublein was a large company that sold food and drinks. As part of this deal, many H. Salt Esq. stores were either closed or sold as franchises.

Focus on Seafood Galley

KFC started to change the H. Salt concept even more. In 1972, a customer found something unusual in his fried fish. The fish had come from a different supplier than usual. This led KFC to look into their fish supply.

KFC also began developing a new idea called "H. Salt Seafood Galley." These new stores were much larger, about 2,400 square feet, and had seating for 90 people. They still sold H. Salt Fish & Chips, but they also offered many other types of seafood.

By 1975, KFC was testing these new "Seafood Galley" restaurants. In 1976, they sold 150 franchises for this new style of restaurant.

Expanded Menu

The company changed its advertising slogan to "Because you know your fish, shrimp, clams, scallops!" The menu grew to include fried oysters, "seafood cakes," fried vegetables, mushrooms, and hushpuppies. They also promoted fried shrimp and pineapple on sticks, boiled shrimp, and shrimp salads.

KFC kept adding more items, moving away from just fish and chips. In 1976, they added "Finger Steaks," which were fried strips of beef. In 1977, they stopped calling their fries "chips" in ads and started calling them "fries." They also began mentioning "light, fluffy rolls" on the menu.

A new menu item in 1977 was the "Fish-Ka-Bob." This was made of fish chunks, onion, green pepper, and pineapple, all fried in batter and served on a stick. It was described as a "delightful new seafood taste."

The End of H. Salt's Connection to KFC

In 1980, the CEO of KFC decided to sell the H. Salt Seafood Galley restaurants that KFC owned. This was part of his plan to help the main Kentucky Fried Chicken brand.

Finally, in 1987, KFC completely ended its connection to the H. Salt brand. They turned over the remaining 70 franchised stores in California to the local owners.

Images for kids

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  H. Salt Esq. Fish & Chips Storefront and Logo, circa 1972