Last chance to vote for top chip shop

Public voting in the 2011 Best Chip Shop Competition is set to close at the end of this month.

The Chip Group Chairperson, Glenda Gourley, said chip shops around the country are still displaying their four digit codes in-store which people simply need to text to 3399 to place their vote.

“The final week of voting could make all the difference for those in the running to become New Zealand’s top chip shop.

“Customers can only vote once, therefore, they need to make sure that their vote counts.”

Glenda said shops competing in this year’s Competition are literally the ‘cream of the crop’ who are prepared to go the extra mile and invest in training to ensure that standards are raised.

“In order to participate in the Competition, chip shops must now complete online training which teaches operators how to cook chips according to the Industry Standards,” Glenda said.

“These guidelines cover chip size, oil temperature, cooking/deep-frying, basket drainage, oil maintenance, filtering and cleaning, salt, frying oils and chip portion size. By completing the training, shops are able to serve up healthier chips that consumers also really enjoy.”

Public text voting will determine 18 regional finalists across six regions around the country.
“A panel of top chip experts will randomly call in on shops to ultimately determine six regional winners. The mystery judging process combined with laboratory chip fat analysis will decide which shops are the country’s best and who will be named top shop.”

Mystery judging will take place during August with the Grand National winner expected to be announced in October.

The 2011 Best Chip Shop Competition is the country’s only national chip shop competition and this year is supported by: Potatoes New Zealand, The Heart Foundation, McCain Foods, Mr Chips, Bakel’s Edible Oils, Groenz, Food & Beverage Today, Catering Plus and That’s Life.