A fish and chip shop owner in Marlow has admitted his business is ‘lucky to still be here’ and that ‘everyday is a bonus’ due to the current financial crisis in the industry.

Kedar Gore, who is the proprietor of the Penguin Fish Bar on West Street, spoke candidly about the struggles his shop has had in recent years, but has remained positive in getting through periods of uncertainty. 

From our initial chat with the business owner back in January 2020, he told us that the shop ‘was surviving’ but that ‘things could be better’.

Fast forward to September 2023, Mr Gore has revealed there has been a steady improvement from nearly four years ago, but the Covid-19 lockdown along with the War in Ukraine have massively impacted his costs.

READ MORE: Marlow's Penguin Fish Bar owner: 'We are surviving but it could always be better'

However, whilst stock has increased in price, he confirmed ‘he will not compromise on quality’ as he wants to his customers to have ‘the best food possible’.

He told the Free Press: “We’re doing well considering things have gone up.

“The basic goods such as fish, that’s gone up by 20 per cent and the vegetable oil that we use has almost doubled.

“This is mainly down to what has happened with Ukraine, but we can’t let our quality go down.

“We haven’t changed the fish that we get and we can’t just rack up the prices.

“That’s not fair to the people who have been visiting us for the past 15 years.

READ MORE: How two Marlow fish and chip shops are coping through the pandemic

“We want to be competitive but we can’t really increase our prices by a huge amount so we’re soaking everything up at the moment.”

The shop, despite having that loyal customer base, is situated in an area of Marlow that is surrounded by several chains such as the Giggling Squid and Domino’s Pizza, whilst high-end restaurants such as The Ship, the Coach and the Oarsman are all within walking distance.

Additionally, the Penguin Fish Bar is directly opposite a Sainsbury’s which is an another place where people can grab a quick bite to eat.

Speaking on the competition, he added: “Being where we are works.

“We're next to all these places but if you want a quick something to eat, then it's ideal and we’ve had many customers come in doing that.

"Lots of day trippers come for a bite then leave and it's great, as they'll come to Marlow once a year or something, but will always come back to visit.

READ MORE: Marlow's Penguin Fish Bar owner thanks readers for ideas to help improve his business

“We know what we offer and that’s why we have a loyal customer base.”

Finally, the business is one of the few fish and chip shops in the country that serve alcohol.

The idea was put forward in 2020 to try and bring in extra income, and the experiment, according to Mr Gore, has worked.

He explained: “It’s helped a lot as we sell a lot of the local beer and that’s added to our income.

“When you buy fish and chips in a pub, some might order it with a beer so why can’t do you that in a chippy?

READ MORE: Which fish and chip shop do you think is the best in Buckinghamshire? 

“It made sense for us to do and I’m so glad we’re still standing.

“We’re lucky to still be here as other chip shops have fallen through this year due to the rising costs.

“We always try our best to excel and you get back (eventually) the amount of effort you put in.

“We always wouldn’t be here without the customers so we are very grateful to them.

"We're still surviving."