'Our Surrey fish and chip business was £400k in debt – then one diner’s video changed everything'

At the end of last month, Jane Hogben met with her family to consider closing their West Byfleet restaurant, part of a fish and chip business founded more than half a century ago.

Their Superfish business, which operates seven fish and chip shops across the Surrey and the South East, was struggling with debts of £400,000.

But on the very day they met to discuss its future, food influencer Robbie Thompson walked into Jane’s Upstairs restaurant, which operates on the first floor of their branch in Old Woking Road.

The video he produced, which described the empty restaurant as a “struggling time-warp chippy with just one customer (me)”, has since attracted 15 million views across his social media platforms.

Since then, diners have travelled from across the UK and beyond, and the family have taken on extra staff to cope with demand.

“We owed about £400,000 to the taxman and our fish supplier,” Jane, 65, said. “It was heartbreaking - calling in the administrators was a real possibility.

“I don’t know if it was my dead dad who sent him, or God or whoever, but that day this influencer visited, put his video out and it’s gone bananas since then.

“We’ve been jam-packed with customers, and even had to bring in some more staff.”

Superfish was founded by Jane’s father Alan Rhodes in 1971 and is now run by Jane, her two brothers and one sister.

Alan opened his first shop in Isleworth, working more than 100 hours a week to establish the business.

West Byfleet followed in 1986, with Jane’s Upstairs opening later that year, offering a more traditional dining experience.

Jane began working in the family business when she was just 10 years old, washing up. She jokes that her father sacked her 11 times before she turned 18.

Alan died 36 years ago, but the enterprise has remained in the family.

Their mother, Betty Rhodes, now 94, was also a huge part of the operation and continued working until she was 92.

The family had weathered difficult periods before, but rising costs and falling trade had left them in a precarious position.

“First it was Covid, then the Ukraine war pushed up the price of fish by 80 percent,” Jane said.

“All this combined with the really hot summer has murdered us.”

She added that it had been difficult to persuade people to come upstairs to the restaurant, despite its long history in West Byfleet.

Robbie Thompson is a food content creator who champions independent restaurants and lesser-known local foods. His Instagram account has 124,000 followers, and he also shares videos on YouTube and TikTok.

“I had no idea who he was whatsoever. He asked if he could do a video and was really nice and friendly.

“But his video went viral, although I had to Google what viral meant,” Jane said.

The clip showed Robbie enjoying the restaurant’s traditional fish and chips cooked in beef dripping, along with the homemade sides and desserts.

“I just can’t begin to tell you how good the food is,” he said.

He was particularly impressed by Jane’s butterscotch tart, made using a recipe she obtained from a dinner lady.

“I don’t remember getting anything quite as good as this at school,” he said, before naming it his “pudding of the year”.

Robbie signed off by praising Jane’s personality and encouraging viewers to visit.

“Jane has an incredible, wicked sense of humour and a warm personality, and if anyone deserves your support it’s her,” he said.

The video has also brought the restaurant back to the attention of local people.

“Every weekend, we’ve been packed and Robbie managed to get the message out that we’re more than just a fish and chip shop,” Jane said.

“We’ve had people visit us from as far as Warwick, London and Southampton. Someone from America is due to visit next month.”

“Not only that, support from the local West Byfleet and Woking community has been amazing. The video has reminded them the restaurant is there, and they’ve rallied round.”

Jane’s niece, Katy Flynn, who works in the restaurant, said the family had been overwhelmed by the response.

“Our family has been part of the local fish and chip business since 1971, with Jane and her siblings all playing a part in running the family business over the years,” she said.

“Since then, we’ve had thousands of new people discover Jane’s Upstairs, an incredible amount of support online, and visitors coming to see us after watching the videos.”

The visitors have included a couple from Australia who were in the area.

The renewed trade has helped, but the financial difficulties have not disappeared.

They are now asking people to keep supporting Jane’s Upstairs and their other Superfish shops to help secure the future of the family business.

A family business spanning generationsRising costs and falling tradeThe video that changed everythingCustomers travel from far and wide.