This Comment piece was published in The Times Scotland on July 16, 2022, following the shock news that the Ubiquitois Chip, one of the oldest and best-known family-owned restaurants in Scotland, had been sold to the Suffolk-based pub giant Metropolitan Pub Company, owned by Greene King. along with its sister restaurants Stravaigin and Hanoi Bike Shop:
I’d be concerned that the Ubiquitous Chip will lose its original USP [unique selling point] of using locally sourced produce, and supporting local farmers, fishers and producers, following its acquisition by the Metropolitan Pub Group, owned by Greene King.
The Ubiquitous Chip group of restaurants’ catchphrase is “Think Global, Eat Local”, a contemporary echo of the original ethos of the famous Glasgow restaurant when Ronnie Clydesdale opened it back in 1971. He was first to champion fresh locally sourced produce, naming their precise provenance on menus. Oban-landed cod, Mallaig-landed squid, Perthshire wood pigeon, Orkney salmon, clapshot, beef hough, salted ling were among the dishes he served, sparking a revolution in the Scottish eating-out scene which at the time was dominated by Italian and French cuisines.
The hospitality and food industries are under enormous strain following Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis . One of the happier outcomes of this has been a renewed appreciation of local sourcing and a flourishing of neighbourhood eateries. I wonder if Greene King, a large UK-wide business based in Suffolk and no doubt with central sourcing and recruitment policies, will manage to retain the local ethos so carefully curated in recent times by Ronnie’s son Colin and his wife Carol.
I’d also be concerned that Greene King might change the main restaurant’s name, much as it is trying to do with the Black Bitch in Linlithgow. The Ubiquitous Chip’s jokey title was intended to confound assumptions that, since it was in Glasgow, chips would be on the menu. They weren’t - at least not for a very long time.
It remains to be seen whether the Chip has now had its chips.
Here’s the Greene King announcement of July 15, 2022, in full:
Metropolitan Pub Company has acquired three greatly admired family-run pub and restaurants in Glasgow as part of its strategy to grow the business outside of London.
The Ubiquitous Chip, Stravaigin and Hanoi Bike Shop, currently owned by Colin and Carol Clydesdale, are iconic and popular sites located in Glasgow’s popular West End.
Colin Clydesdale said: “Metropolitan Pub Company approached Carol and I, as great admirers of The Chip, Stravaigin and Hanoi, with an interest in buying. After much consideration, we decided to sell the business that has been in family ownership since 1971.
“I truly believe the business and people will be in safe hands with Michael and the team, who will continue the legacy that we have built. We look forward to visiting as customers for many years to come.”
The award-winning pubs, including the Stravaigin which has recently been named one of the 50 Best Gastro pubs in the UK and the Ubiquitous Chip, which has been named the Best Pub in the area at the National Pub & Bar Awards for 2022, are great additions to Metropolitan Pub Company being synonymous with high quality food and great customer satisfaction.
Michael Horan, managing director of Metropolitan Pub Company, said: “We are really excited to welcome these iconic sites to the Metropolitan estate, and continuing the legacy that the Clydesdale family has built over the last 50 years.“We are looking forward to working with the 145 team members to continue providing the world class hospitality to the people of Glasgow.
Serendipity played its part when I got the final interview with Colin and Carol just prior to their selling The Ubiquitois Chip group to Greene King. it was published on July 14, 2022, in Glasgow West End Today magazine. Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3B3n5Lc