Rotorua fish and chip shop best in NZ

It's official - Oppies Takeaway is New Zealand's best chip shop.

The Rotorua takeaway store on the corner of Fenton St and Malfroy Rd took out top spot in this year's Best Chip Shop competition run by The Chip Group. Oppies owner Michael Huang said it was recognition of all their hard work.

"It's marvellous, I'm really excited," he said.

Finalists were judged according to stringent criteria which included displaying The Chip Group Training certificates, chip taste and quality, adherence to the industry standards, cleanliness of the shop, customer service and chip fat content, as analysed by an independent laboratory.

Oppies has taken out the regional competition for the last two years but hadn't quite reached the top spot.

"This award gives all the people who work at Oppies proof that they are the best," Mr Huang said.

After arriving in New Zealand from China in 1990 he decided to start up a fish and chip shop. Having worked as a chef in China, he already knew a lot about food but had to start from scratch to cook quality fish and chips.

Chip Group chairwoman Glenda Gourley said Oppies shone in many areas from the top notch customer service on offer through to their use of rice bran oil and full adherence to industry standards.

"The shop is an institution in Rotorua, " she said.

It's been a great year for the shop which also won the Pukeroa Oruawhata Holdings Retail Business Award at the Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards on September 30.