#234: The News Review takes on jobs, planning pitfalls and a new fryers’ venture

Episode 234 of The Ceres Podcast, The News Review brings host Stelios Theocharous and co-host David Nicolaou back to their familiar format: pick the stories that matter to the trade, then pull them apart for meaning. What makes this episode stand out is the balance it strikes. It is serious without being gloomy, practical without being preachy, and always rooted in what hospitality and fish and chip businesses are living through right now.

The conversation moves from the pressures squeezing hospitality employment, to a cautionary tale about planning enforcement, and then into the uncomfortable but essential topic of workplace safeguarding. The result is an episode that feels timely, grounded, and genuinely useful for anyone running a shop, restaurant, or takeaway.

First, a warm open and a very real industry temperature check

Before the headlines, Stelios and David ease in with a bit of shop-floor chat and industry life. It is friendly and relaxed, but it also sets up the episode’s bigger point. These are two people who live the trade, not commentators on the sidelines.

David shares how flat trading feels at the moment, and how the relentless price of cod is pushing shops to consider alternatives like saithe or pollock. Stelios backs the point with a reminder that customers will still pay for fish and chips at today’s prices, but only if the product is genuinely excellent. When fish and chips is no longer cheap, the standard has to rise with the price.

One of the most useful early takeaways is their shared view that offering a sensible alternative species is not a defeat. It is a way to keep customers in the category, rather than giving them a reason to walk away.

After the warm open, the episode shifts briefly into two forward-looking industry updates that will interest operators who like to stay close to the trade’s moving parts.

First, Stelios and David talk about David and Craig’s new venture, The Two Grumpy Fryers. The tone here is light, but the underlying point is serious: good businesses evolve, and experienced operators are still looking for fresh ways to contribute to the industry. It adds a personal, entrepreneurial note to the episode and signals that even in tough markets, there is room for smart new ideas.

They then discuss the Scottish awards expanding into the wider UK. Rather than treating it as industry gossip, they present it as a meaningful development. Awards shape standards, attract talent, and influence what customers expect from the best shops. For fish and chip owners, the message is simple: these competitions are not just for show. They are one more sign that the bar is rising nationally, and that reputation now travels further than ever.

This short segment works as a bridge into the first main story, because it frames a trade that is under pressure, but still pushing forward.

The first main story is stark: UK hospitality employment has fallen for 13 straight months, with major job losses since the October 2024 Budget. Stelios summarises the figures clearly and frames why this matters beyond politics. Less staff in the sector means fewer viable businesses, fewer entry-level jobs, and a weaker pipeline of future operators.

David chooses the story because it mirrors what operators feel daily. He describes businesses being on the back foot, not collapsing overnight but fighting a slow grind. When Stelios probes whether fish prices are the whole story, David is direct: yes, fish is a big driver, but it sits on top of wider pressure from energy costs, wage inflation, and shrinking disposable income.

A standout moment here is Stelios introducing “behind the range syndrome”, the idea that operators can become over-confident about their own standards and blind to change. His example of a shop insisting “nothing has changed” while quietly frying chocolate for TikTok customers lands as both funny and instructive. The point is simple: small changes stack up, and businesses need honest self-awareness if they want to stay relevant at higher price points.

They also tackle a question many owners will recognise: is takeaway fish and chips hospitality or retail? Stelios notes that government datasets often park fish and chips under retail, which may be one reason the trade struggles to get targeted support. David still sees the work as hospitality in spirit, because the customer experience matters even if it is only five minutes at the counter.

This section closes on a practical, forward-looking note. Both hosts agree that the shops that focus on doing fish and chips brilliantly will survive. The average, distracted menus and middling standards will not.

The second headline story could feel far removed from fish and chip shops at first. A South London restaurant installs a major extractor fan without the right permission, misses court during family illness, and ends up facing a £2.5 million confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

But Stelios and David make it immediately relevant. Their discussion is less about sensationalism and more about what happens when owners take a casual approach to planning and compliance. David walks through the timeline and keeps circling back to one brutally simple question: why did they not just fix the issue when told to?

Stelios brings the nuance. He understands the cultural and human reasons owners sometimes delay dealing with authorities, especially during crisis, but he also stresses that UK institutions expect communication. His own anecdote about nearly losing his licence after ignoring paperwork while his son was in hospital is a quiet reminder that the system can be fair, but only if you engage with it.

The practical takeaway is clear and repeated in different ways:

• Do not change signage, extraction, shopfronts, or layouts without written confirmation.

• Treat planning officers as allies, not obstacles.

• If you are in doubt, get professional advice early, because once a case enters the courts it becomes hard to stop the momentum.

For independent operators who often run on instinct and speed, this segment is a useful “slow down and protect yourself” moment.

The third story shifts the tone again, into safeguarding, workplace culture, and the reality of employing younger staff. McDonald’s UK faces renewed pressure from the EHRC after fresh allegations of harassment, including reports involving teenage employees.

David picks the story because it has implications far beyond a big brand. Fish and chip shops and small hospitality businesses are hiring younger people too, and the expectations of what a safe workplace looks like are changing fast. He notes that what older staff might have shrugged off as banter can feel threatening or inappropriate to a 16- or 18-year-old starting their first job.

Stelios agrees, and his point is practical rather than moralising. Even small businesses without formal HR departments need policies, contracts, and routes for reporting concerns. He is explicit that owners cannot dismiss complaints as hassle, because early action prevents escalation.

The hosts also keep perspective. Stelios acknowledges the headline weight of the allegations, while noting that scale matters and some complaints will reflect discomfort at crude talk rather than criminal intent. That said, neither host excuses real misconduct. David shares a long-lasting example from his family of how early workplace harassment can leave scars for decades.

The segment lands with a broader message for operators. If hospitality wants young workers to stay in the trade, workplaces must be safe, respectful, and well managed. That is not just ethics, it is survival.

This News Review episode is at its best when it connects the dots between policy, real-world operations, and the choices owners make every day. It does not pretend there are easy fixes. Instead, it offers realistic framing and usable lessons: focus your menu, defend your standards, respect compliance, and take the culture of your workplace seriously.

The chemistry between Stelios and David keeps it human throughout. They challenge each other, laugh at their own blind spots, and still pull the conversation back to what matters for independent businesses.