The Best Chip Shop Competition is back after a 4-year hiatus. 51 stores (see list below) have been awarded Highly Commended Chips for producing hot potato chips with 9% fat or less. These stores are currently being mystery shopped for regional awards and the coveted title of Best Chip Shop 2017.
As the saying goes… The customer is always right! So this year a People’s Choice Best Chips Award, sponsored by Bidfood, was introduced. This award is simply decided by public online voting.
115 businesses across New Zealand were nominated for the Bidfood People’s Choice Best Chips Award, attracting over 4,100 public votes. (Limited to 1 vote per customer). Despite being located in a regional town… One store attracted over 11% of the total votes finishing with a clear winning margin.
So… without further ado… the winner of the inaugural Bidfood People’s Choice Best Chips Award is Mr Chips Masterton. So, head on down to 22 Chapel Street in Masterton to taste New Zealand’s favourite hot potato chips, as voted by you the public.
All the Best Chip Shop Competition Awards will be presented at the Potatoes NZ Awards Dinner on Wednesday 26 July at the Pukekohe Indian Association (PIA) Events Centre. Renown opinionist and comedian Te Radar will be MC for the evening and dinner speaker. Limited tickets for the Awards dinner are still available – book online at www.potatoesnz.co.nz/register.
Mr Chips Masterton owners Steve & Monica Fair were understandably delighted with the news… “We and our staff are feeling very proud and elated to have been voted as having the best chips in New Zealand. We’ve been in business 6 years and have never needed to advertise. The best part is receiving daily praise from our customers who have stood behind us so we can receive this public recognition award.”
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank The Chip Group for providing the platform for the competition, and Bidfood for sponsoring this award. The Chip Group online training has provided a fantastic accessible knowledge base for our staff to cook tastier, healthier chips. A huge thanks to the public out there who have taken time to vote for us!”
Potatoes New Zealand Chief Executive Chris Claridge offered his congratulations to Steve, Monica & the team at Mr Chips Masterton. “We are delighted for Mr Chips Masterton. They were the runaway winners which shows how much their customers love their chips. Friday night Fish & Chips is a great Kiwi tradition that New Zealander continue to enjoy.”
This award was made possible the generous support of Bidfood. “Bidfood are proud to support the re-emergence of the Best Chip competition; celebrating excellence in the art of ‘chippery’.
We see the people’s choice award as an integral part, because we understand first-hand how nice it is to have accolades on the wall. People’s Choice truly is the judgement of your customers, as such it is the defining call of success.” – Dan Parsons, Head of Marketing, Bidfood Limited
The Bidfood People’s Choice Best Chips Award is part of the 2017 Best Chip Shop Competition organised by The Chip Group – a division of Potatoes New Zealand Inc.
The top 15 stores in the Bidfood People’s Choice Best Chips voting were;
- Mr Chips Masterton
- Oceanz Seafood Silverdale (North Shore)
- Fox Street Takeaways (Temuka – Lower South Island)
- So Fine Seafoods (Lower Hutt – Greater Wellington)
- Double Dutch Fries (Auckland)
- Pirimai Chippy (Napier – Central Region)
- Victory Square Fish n Chips (Nelson – Upper South Island)
- Halfway House Takeaways (Hawkes Bay – Central)
- Big Gary’s Riccarton (Christchurch – Upper South Island)
- New Funky Fish (Blenheim – Upper South Island)
- Grey St Chippery (Hamilton – Waikato & BOP)
- Oceanz Seafood Botany (Auckland)
- Queen Vic Chippy (Cambridge – Waikato & BOP)
- Kiwi Taste (Thames – Waikato & BOP)
- Okato Takeaways (New Plymouth – Central Region)
The 51 Highly Commend Chips stores (and now Regional finalists) are;
Northland & North Shore – Kippers Takeaway, Kuna Quality Takeaways, Oceanz Seafood Silverdale, Northcross Takeaway, Porthouse Bar & Eatery and Realfresh Seafood Birkenhead.
Auckland – Bunters Takeaway, Choice Food Bar, Double Dutch Fries, Fish and Ships, Fish Pot Cafe, Fishy Business, Kohi Fresh Fish, LJ’s Waitakere, Mangere Bridge Takeaways, Oceanz Botany, Panmure Fish & Chips and Waves Seafood.
Waikato & Bay of Plenty – Coromandel Oyster Company, DK’S Burger Bar, Grey St. Chippery, Kiwi Taste, Master Fish ‘n’ Chicken, Queen Vic Chippy, Springfield Takeaway, Welcome Bay Takeaways, Wong’s Kitchen and Young’s Kitchen.
Central Region (including Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Taranaki) – Halfway House Takeaways, Hawera Seafoods & Chinese Fast Foods, Okato Takeaways, Pirimai Chippy and Elgin Fish & Chip Shop.
Greater Wellington (including Manawatu & Whanganui) – Corfu Seafoods, Fish King (Pahiatua), Fish King Fielding, Fish Masterton, Fishtown Takeaways, Mac’s Fresh Fish & Chips and So Fine Seafoods.
Upper South Island (including Nelson, Marlborough, Tasman, West Coast & Christchurch) – Big Gary’s Riccarton, Gourmet Seafoods Shirley, The New Funky Fish, Victoria Seafood Bar, Victory Square Fish n Chips, Cashel Street Takeaways and Village Foods Oxford.
Lower South Island (including South Canterbury, Otago & Southland) – Fox Street Takeaways, Padi Kitchen, The Naked Chip and Waimate Takeaway.