#233: How Yan’s Fish Bar survived generations of change, with Steven Muscat

The Ceres Podcast returns with an episode that is as much about people as it is about fish and chips. In Episode 233, host Mark Petrou sits down with Cardiff fryer and community builder Steven Muscat of Yan’s Fish Bar to trace a full-circle story of migration, family graft, and the realities of running a shop across five decades. The conversation matters because it shows how independent shops stay relevant when costs rise, habits shift, and the high street changes shape around them.   

Steven begins at the roots. His father came from Corfu to Cardiff in the late 1950s and eventually opened Yan’s, with the shop officially starting in 1969. Steven was born in Cardiff and grew up inside the business, making the trade feel less like a job and more like home.    He describes starting work young, doing long Saturdays and late nights, then moving into regular shifts while still at school. The picture is vivid and honest: a childhood of counting cash, cycling home in the dark, and being exhausted in class.  

One of the most striking moments is Steven’s school anecdote about a strict teacher, Alan Pearce. Steven remembers being kept in detention for lateness caused by work and being given thousands of lines to write, sometimes completed in the fish shop before school. The line he had to copy, “procrastination is the thief of time,” becomes a small symbol of the pressure and discipline underpinning his early years.  

From there, the episode widens into a clear-eyed look at how the trade has changed. Mark and Steven compare old portion sizes and expectations with today’s customers, who want value but still pay more for what they enjoy. Steven frames it simply: food value has shifted, with expensive coffees and burgers normalised, while fish costs keep climbing.   The pair talk about survival tactics that do not compromise quality, such as adjusting portions, renaming items to manage expectations, and introducing smaller fish options like “bites.”   Steven argues for more industry consistency on portion standards, warning that oversized fish portions are financially unsustainable in the current market.  

A second big theme is community, both online and offline. Mark credits Steven with pioneering the Facebook group Owners and Lovers of Fish and Chips, describing it as the first page that truly exploded in reach.   Steven explains why he built it: to give smaller shops a voice and a practical place to share advice, without the perceived bias towards bigger operators in some trade media.   His approach to moderation is light-touch but deliberate, focused on keeping the group industry-only and open to debate.  

Awards and representation also get a frank airing. Steven feels current award systems can be elitist, overly paperwork-heavy, and too influenced by insiders. He asks why there is no “longevity award” for shops that have served communities for decades.   Mark responds with empathy while defending the role of national awards and highlighting how Scotland’s model creates local champions and wider inclusivity. The exchange is respectful, practical, and aimed at making recognition more meaningful for everyday operators.  

Modern pressures round out the episode. Covid, working-from-home culture, slow cookers and air fryers, and the decline of traditional high-street footfall all changed demand patterns.   Delivery apps add another squeeze. Steven cites around 30 percent aggregator fees and describes frustrating refund claims, leading him to rely on CCTV and food photos to protect the business.   These stories underline a core point: today’s chippy owner is not just a fryer, but also a marketer, cost controller, and dispute manager.

Despite the weight of the topics, the tone stays warm and forward-looking. Steven’s mindset is summed up in his advice to “think a bit positively, go forward,” and find profitable menu choices that help shops stay standing without losing what makes them special.   The episode closes with family and legacy. Steven is proud that his three sons have chosen different careers, because he does not want them to miss the life moments he had to sacrifice. Yet he speaks with affection about the bond they still share and the pride he feels in the trade.  

Episode 233 is a proper trade conversation: personal, practical, and rooted in real experience. For fish and chip shop owners, hospitality operators, and anyone navigating tight margins and shifting habits, this is a valuable listen. It reminds the industry that adaptation is possible, community matters, and long-term survival comes from getting the basics right while staying positive about what comes next.