Chippy Steve

About Chippy Steve

Steve runs a fish and chip van around Pickering and the villages of North Yorkshire, bringing proper fresh-fried fish and chips straight to people’s doorsteps. His round covers several communities across the week, and for a lot of his regulars, the van pulling up is tea sorted for the night. It’s a one-man operation built on knowing his customers and turning up where he’s expected.

The challenge

Covering that much ground means no round runs to the exact minute. Some stops got busy and ran on, which pushed the later stops back. Customers waiting further down the round had no way of knowing that, so they’d assume Steve wasn’t coming and head back inside, especially when the weather turned. Nobody wants to stand about in the cold on the off chance. Those missed connections meant missed sales.

What we did

Steve plugged a CiraLocal tracker into the van’s 12v socket and shared the live map link on his Facebook page. Now his regulars can see exactly where the van is and when it’s heading their way. If an earlier stop runs over, everyone further along can see it on the map, so instead of guessing they just wait until he’s close and come out at the right moment.

The results

Once people could check the map for themselves, the guesswork disappeared. Customers now know exactly where Steve is and can step out moments before he pulls up, rather than waiting around or giving up. One village has even taken it a step further, with a local who texts everyone when the van’s five minutes away.

The result is happier customers and a noticeable jump in takings, with sales up by around 15% across the round.

• Customers come out just as the van arrives, no more waiting in the weather
• One village runs its own ‘5 minutes away’ text alert off the live map
• Sales up around 15% across the round

“It’s simple, people can see where I am, so they come out when I’m close. Nobody’s stood waiting in the rain wondering if I’m even coming, and the takings are up. Win win.”

“It costs next to nothing and took minutes to set up. After the first month it was obvious, it’s a no brainer.”