Dean Banking on Success MasterChef: The Professionals finalist realises his dream of opening a high-end chippy in the town centre, called Haarbour.
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ife chef Dean Banks opened his new modern fish and chip shop and restaurant in St Andrews to the public recently. An idea he dreamed up years ago, the chef and entrepreneur has generated 20 new jobs as a result of the new eatery, Haarbour. Located on Alexandra Place, the concept sees a traditional chippy meet Dean’s modern take on cooking and explores fish and chip offerings from across the world. Taking five months to renovate and bring the idea to life, Dean and his team have been working on the project since May. He said: “It has been a dream of mine for around four years, maybe a bit more. I was thinking about it before I did MasterChef: The Professionals and I remember when I first walked in to do the skills test, Marcus Wareing had asked about my background and what I had achieved. I spoke about Haarbour, and how I wanted to have this fish and chip shop that was more than just that and fused different styles.
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Chippy Chat & Fast Food Magazine • April 2021
“It evolved since Haar more and more and this image I had in my head is now real. Myself and my operations manager have just been walking around with tradesmen telling them what we want and it is so great to see it all come together the way it has.” Putting a spin on the way a traditional fish and chip shop is run, Dean has invested in new equipment which he says will improve the ordering process and wait times for food. “We’ve got the front entrance of the shop which is our takeaway area and it’s your classic chippy front. We have a new system in place which will sort this old way of queueing for half an hour after placing your order,” said Dean. “Our system will allow you to get your order in really quickly and means there’s a shorter waiting time. I’m using a style which is popular in the ski resorts in the Alps. You place your order, are given you buzzer and can go off to the pub or wait in your car, and then you can just come back when the buzzer goes off. We set it up to help with social distancing, but Chippy Chat & Fast Food Magazine • April 2021
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