Harry Ramsden's facts for kids
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| Industry | Fast food restaurants |
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| Founded | 1928 |
| Founder | Harry Ramsden (1888–1963) |
| Headquarters | London, England, UK |
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Key people
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James Low (CEO) |
| Products | Fish and chips and themed dishes |
| Parent | Deep Blue Restaurants Ltd |
Harry Ramsden's is a famous restaurant chain in the United Kingdom. They are well-known for serving delicious fish and chips. You can find their restaurants in many places across the UK and Ireland. Even though other fish and chip shops existed before, Harry Ramsden's started in 1928. They proudly say they are "Britain's longest-established restaurant chain."
Contents
How Harry Ramsden's Began
Harry Ramsden (born 1888) started his business in 1928. He began in a small wooden hut in Guiseley, West Yorkshire, in northern England. Just three years later, he moved into a new, fancy building. This new place had soft carpets, oak walls, and shiny chandeliers.
The original wooden hut was taken down in 2012 because it was in bad shape. The main restaurant next to it was once the world's largest fish and chip shop. It could seat 250 people and served almost a million customers every year. Harry Corbett, who created the famous puppet Sooty, was Harry Ramsden's nephew. He used to play the piano in his uncle's first restaurant.
In 1954, Harry Ramsden sold his business to his partner, Eddie Stokes. Later, in 1965, it was sold again to a company called Associated Fisheries.
Growing the Business
In 1988, a company called Merryweathers bought Harry Ramsden's. At this time, it was still mainly the original restaurant in Guiseley. The new owners, John Barnes and Richard Richardson, wanted to make it a much bigger chain. They aimed to open restaurants all over the UK and even in other countries.
In 1989, the company became public, meaning people could buy shares in it. This helped them get money to grow. Over the next ten years, Harry Ramsden's opened many new restaurants. Some were owned by the company, and others were franchises. They opened in places like Hong Kong, Australia, Epcot, and Saudi Arabia.
A company called Granada, which runs motorway services, bought Harry Ramsden's in 1999. Granada helped Harry Ramsden's open locations at motorway service stations. Later, another company called Compass took over. Under Compass, Harry Ramsden's expanded even more. They opened kiosks in schools, Post Office canteens, and holiday resorts like Butlins. The last Harry Ramsden's at a motorway service station closed in 2022.
In 1999, Harry Ramsden's also opened a quick-service spot at Walt Disney World's Epcot. It was in the United Kingdom pavilion and served traditional fish and chips. In 2006, the name changed to Yorkshire County Fish Shop. Even with the new name, Harry Ramsden's still ran the place until 2010.
New Owners and Future Plans
In 2006, a company called SSP bought Harry Ramsden's. SSP is a big company that runs food places in airports and train stations. At first, Harry Ramsden's had to compete with other brands SSP owned for money to grow.
In 2008, Chris Sullivan became the new Managing Director. He made big changes to the food. He improved the quality and made sure customers didn't have to wait as long. These changes helped sales go up. Because of this success, SSP decided to sell Harry Ramsden's.
In 2010, a company called Boparan Ventures Limited (BVL) bought Harry Ramsden's. BVL planned to open 100 more restaurants in five years. This would create 600 new jobs.
On November 29, 2011, the original Harry Ramsden's restaurant in Guiseley closed. The owners said it was losing money. In 2012, another fish and chip group, Wetherby Whaler, bought it. It reopened under their name in May 2012.
BVL kept investing in the Harry Ramsden's brand. Their Bournemouth restaurant was briefly the world's largest fish and chip restaurant. It could seat 417 people!
In 2019, Boparan Ventures Limited sold Harry Ramsden's to a rival company, Deep Blue Restaurants. Deep Blue now owns 34 Harry Ramsden's locations. This includes 15 restaurants and many franchises in the UK and Malaysia.
Undercover Boss Episode
In 2010, Harry Ramsden's was featured on the TV show Undercover Boss. The CEO at the time, Marija Simovic, pretended to be a new employee. She worked in different restaurants to see why the company was having problems. She visited locations in Swindon, Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Blackpool, Southampton, and Great Yarmouth.
At the end of the show, Simovic promised to make big changes. She also promoted several employees who had impressed her. Simovic left the company in 2011.
Other Products
The Harry Ramsden's brand is also used for other food products. For example, Princes Group sells tinned mushy peas with the Harry Ramsden's name. Birds Eye also sells frozen fish using the brand.
See also
- List of fish and chip restaurants
- List of seafood restaurants
