Pan Estate chip shop Ozze’s Plaice is now under new ownership, as Steve and Elvie Cooper take the reins from long-time owners Osman and Andrene Mehmet.
The handover took place on Thursday (28th August), after a packed farewell evening on Wednesday saw 118 orders placed, with queues continuing past 19:40. Customers came out in force to thank Ozze and Andie for years of service to the local community.
Now, Steve and Elvie are stepping behind the counter, promising to carry on everything that made the chippie so popular.
Steve said:
“Ozze has built a legacy. We just want to do them proud.”
A born-and-bred Islander, Steve trained as a chef locally and has worked in roles across the prison service, Asda and the ambulance service. Returning to catering feels like a natural move.
Steve added:
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We’re keeping the portion sizes the same. The staff are staying on. We’re using the same suppliers and keeping the same quality. Nothing is changing – apart from Ozze and Andie changing to Steve and Elvie.”
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Elvie has a long-standing connection with the shop, having worked there before. She recalled:
“I came in for a portion of chips and came out with a chip shop.”
The couple met while working at Asda, where Elvie also joked:
“I came in for a pint of milk and came out with a husband.”
The Coopers have spent 2 months training under Ozze and Andie before taking over the business. As part of the handover, the retiring couple even passed on their secret recipe for homemade fishcakes.
Steve continued:
“According to Google, we’re the best chippie on the Isle of Wight. We want to keep that position.”
Feedback from the community has already been positive, with many regulars saying the food tastes just as they remember. Steve and Elvie say they’re looking forward to learning customers’ names – and their usual orders.
In a message to locals, they said:
“To our customers – we can’t wait to get to know you all, especially the regulars. We’ll be doing our best to learn your orders off by heart.”
For now, it’s business as usual – and that’s exactly how the Coopers intend to keep it.
Let’s hope they don’t get battered at the next budget.
Running a business thesedays is a rock in a hard plaice.
Message for isleofwill, no need to pick me up on my spelling
we all no place is spelt as follows
place
Lol
Boring
Lame joke in line one.
‘thesedays’ two words.
between a rock and a hard place
we all know
Perhaps you should attend one of those schools you’re so keen to close