Quality key to success in food, says popular takeaway owner
Amy O’Sullivan of Miss Ellie’s Takeaway in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
Amy O’Sullivan knows her spuds, her cod, her sausages – and everything else on the menu at Miss Ellie’s Takeaway in Clonmel Co Tipperary.
Already an 11-year veteran of what is always acknowledged as a competitive business, she is the second generation catering to the needs of a clientele as numerous as they are loyal.
“I’m very lucky in that my parents, who ran the business before me, still help out on a regular basis,” she explains.
“Finding staff has been a big problem going back to the start of the pandemic, so I’m very fortunate to have the parents’ advice and experience to lean on.
“They both come in during the mornings to prepare all the food – fish, fillets, chicken, potatoes, burgers – and get everything ready for the actual cooking and dealing with customers. They’re both in their late 60’s and I’m just so grateful to still have their help.”
Having not only passed along a thriving business to Amy, her parents clearly imbued her with the same kind of enthusiasm for the trade that always makes such a difference in dealing with the public.
“We have a hugely loyal clientele, you can tell when they’ll be in, what they’ll order and how they like it prepared. But it’s also very much about the banter, the bit of craic that you have with them. It’s a very demanding business, but also a very rewarding one if it’s done right,” she explains.
Like any new generation, Amy brought her own initiatives and innovations to the business: “My parents worked very hard, everything was done by hand in those days with no machines to help them - fierce long hours and constant work to slowly built it up to what it is today.”
Having graduated with a Bachelor of Business in Hospitality Management from Munster Technological University and a Bachelor of Arts in Hotel & Catering Management from Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Amy found herself offered the business by parents who had built the business over 20 years and were looking toward retirement.
Wisely seeking advice on the specifics of proper takeaway management and business controls, Amy jumped in at the deep end, determined to put her own stamp on a business ready to be taken to the next level.
“I wanted everything sold across the counter at Miss Ellie’s to be fresh every day – nothing frozen, as you’ll often find in other places. If it’s not fresh, we will not serve it”, she says, adding that a ‘fish only’ menu is maintained on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
“People actually love that we do that - they are almost our two busiest days of the year.”
And while Amy is grateful for the assistance of the older generation in running the business, she also looks to the younger generation for ideas in how to promote it to an even bigger audience.
“My niece has been working with me part-time for years, and her use of TikTok and Instagram have added a whole new dimension to the business. We put together a chicken fillet rap for a bit of fun, and she put it on TikTok –within a few days it had a half a million views.
“People were coming to us from Dublin, Limerick, Waterford and Kerry as a result of it. We are always open to doing slightly mad things like green battered sausages on St Paddy’s Day – and the customers really love it. It’s great to bring in the ideas of the younger generation – they really promote the business in a way that would have been completely impossible just a few years ago.”
Regardless of the modern technology that is now available at the touch of a button, Miss Ellie’s Takeaway still adheres to a few sacred traditions that will never go out of fashion.
“Quality is a must in the business – customers expect it and you can never drop your standards where food is concerned,” Amy believes.
“The other thing is personality – people want a laugh, a bit of joking and banter with the takeaway. The more you give, the more you get back – and that is a real strong part of our business. People expect a smile with their fish – and that’s exactly what they get at Miss Ellie‘s Takeaway.”
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