Chipper fires up its fryers for first time since flood

The chips may have been down for a month since a flash flood forced the closure of this legendary takeaway.

But they were flying out the door last night as hundreds of people celebrated the reopening of Cork’s famous KC’s chipper.

People queued out the door of the fast-food institution in Douglas as it fired up its fryers for the first time since it was destroyed in the Jun 28 flood.

“We were flat out. But it’s great to be back in business,” said Zac Crawford, who is among the third generation of the family to be involved in the running of the 1958-founded business.

It was one of dozens of local businesses which were forced to close after the town centre was inundated by flood waters late last month.

KC’s, which employs up to 24 people, was swamped by up to 3ft of water and suffered tens of thousands of euros worth of damage. All of the equipment and stock had to be dumped.

In a tragic twist of fate, the flood struck just days after the death of its co-founder, Edith Mary Crawford, aged 89, and just two weeks before the business’s 54th anniversary.

KC’s owners were inundated with offers of support through their Facebook page in the days afterwards. “We were very anxious to get open as quickly as possibly,” Zac said.

“It’s been a month of hard work. The guys worked until really late in the night, and then came back early in the morning to get the repairs done.

“We took the opportunity to get some extra work done — jobs that we would otherwise not have been able to do without a lengthy closure.

“We knocked down some walls that we didn’t need and did a total rewiring job.

“So in that regard, the closure’s been good. But it’s just great to be back in business.”

US-born Edith Mary Crawford, a dietician who grew up in Crosshaven, opened KC’s in Douglas on Jul 9, 1958, with her husband Ken.

The couple were among the pioneers of Ireland’s fledgling fast-food industry, and were among the first to introduce the hamburger — Ms Crawford’s own meat pattie — to the Irish palate.

They were constantly innovating and expanded their menu over the years.

Such is the popularity of their food, a webcam was installed in recent years to allow people to check online the length of the queues before leaving their homes.

Today, KC and Sons is famous for its King Creole, its Chicken Bombay, and its KC Special burger.

The business is run by Edith Mary and Ken’s son, Wesley, and his three sons.

It is among the few fast-food outlets recommended by the Bridgestone Guide, Ireland’s food bible.

Zac said they have yet to finalise the repair bill and are still in negotiations with their insurance company.

Their equipment replacement bill alone will top €60,000.