Our in-depth interview at Hooksey's

Group interview conducted with the owner’s son, Peter Leventakis:
1. How long has your company been in operation?
Hooksey’s Fish and Chips has been in existence since 1995 (14 years). My mother and father took over operations in 2000.
2. Why did you decide to open a restaurant?
To start, my father immigrated to Canada from Greece in 1966 and my mother immigrated four years later in 1970. They got into the hotel business and ran one for a few years, but then decided that running their own business was something they wanted to accomplish. So when the previous owner made the decision to leave, my parents took over the restaurant.
3. How many years would you say it took to establish your business into the successful family-run institution that it is today?
Well, this restaurant was already an established business in the community before we arrived. When we took over operations though, we doubled in business.
4. Can you offer a brief timeline of your company’s progress throughout the years?
The first year that we took over operations of Hooksey’s, we decided to renovate the walls, floors and back kitchen area. We originally wanted to change the name of the restaurant, but felt that people in the community already had a familiarity with the business and that keeping it was the right move. In the second year we changed the general look inside the restaurant, the walls originally had big fish nets and fake lobsters decorating the walls mimicking a fishermen’s wharf type restaurant. We wanted to make the inside look more “family oriented” so we took all the props off the walls, painted the walls, and hung up nice pictures of landscapes that we felt were very pleasant to the eye. Since then, our restaurant hasn’t gone under very much change, other than the menu signs being re-done and some new chairs and tables being brought in to replace the older ones.
5. Has your company always been a family-oriented business?
Our company has always been a family-oriented business from day one.
6. Currently, what is the employee structure of your restaurant?
a. Is it solely made up of family members?
The structure of our business is not solely made up of family members. My parents and I are the only family members in the business. My mother and father are the owners.
b. Do you have more than one manager?
There isn’t really a sole manager at Hooksey’s. My parents, I guess are the ones in charge when they are in working, but when they are not in, all the employees work together. We have a mix of part-time and full-time employees. We have 9 employees currently working at Hooksey’s.
c. Multiple cooks?
We do have multiples cooks in the restaurant. 5 cook's in total.
7. Can you share with us the names and birthdates of the employees of your company, and how long they have been working in the restaurant?
I can share with you the names and ages of our employees.
Andy (65) and Elaine (55) Leventakis, Myself Peter Leventakis, Courtney (20), Chelsea (19), Katie (16), Mamta (40), Emily (17).
8. What would you consider to be the cultural identity associated with Hooksey’s Fish ‘n Chips?
I feel the cultural identity of Hooksey’s is that we are a very nice family restaurant. We do not cater to any specific culture. We offer a good mix of foods for all 3 meals of the day.
9. Being a public restaurant, a varied range of individuals must dine at your restaurant. How often do you communicate with other ethnic groups?
Every day we communicate with different ethnic groups. A good mix of people visit Hooksey’s.
10. If often, has communicating with these ethnic groups, in your opinion, broadened your customer base?
Yes definitely. By establishing a friendship with our customers through interpersonal relationships, our customers help attract other clientele from their social groups i.e. churches, mosques, and language class.
11. In the Durham Region, there currently more than a dozen Fish and Chip specialty restaurants. How does Hooksey’s Fish and Chips remain competitive and successful?
I feel we remain competitive by establishing a customer relationship with people, we have good customer service; we feel we always bring the very best to the table with our food. All of our food comes in fresh daily and we try to accommodate what people want, such as special orders. That’s what I feel separates us from other restaurants.
12. Along with fellow specialty Fish and Chips restaurants, you are also forced to compete with major fast food chain corporations such as McDonalds and Wendy’s. Do you feel that these major fast food chains affect your customer base?
No, I don’t feel that these restaurant chains have any effect on our customer base. We offer a different kind of menu and our customer relations is something we pride ourselves on.
13. What aspect of your company brings in the most revenue?
Again, the good customer relationships definitely help us bring in revenue. I feel the good selection on our menu is also a contributing factor.
14. Do you rely on returning customers to ensure financial stability? If so, how often do your loyal customers dine at the restaurant?
Yes, we definitely rely on our returning customers. I would say almost 90% of our clientele are returning customers, sometimes twice daily.
15. Does your company perform any types of marketing strategies in order to draw more people into the restaurant?
When we first took over, we tried using different types of advertisements in the local paper, but we felt that they were ineffective. We draw our customers in by applying good customer service so they will come back, hopefully with more company the next time too.