KENSINGTON – Kensington is about to see a new restaurant open its doors and breathe new life into an old building.
On Saturday, Go! Fish Eatery, a new fish and chips shop is opening in the old railway’s blacksmith shop.
Owners Trent Murphy and his mother Karen, were approved to renovate the former James Mullally Blacksmith Shop into a takeout restaurant earlier this year after applying to the town council.
“We’ve always been involved in the food industry. Mom used to own a pub eight or so years ago. She sold it a couple years back. Then when she came across this place it seemed to be a good fit. Mom says fish and chips was the most popular item on the menu at her old place,” explained Murphy.
This is the first time he has had his name on the ownership of a restaurant, but he spent time during and after high school working in the food industry.
“I’ve worked at restaurants here on the Island and I also worked at a place in Newtown, Conn. The guy who owned it was really good at establishing a restaurant, making it successful and then selling. I learned a lot during that time.”
Go! Fish Eatery will specialize in takeout meals of gluten-free battered haddock and homemade fries.
“We’re going to be mostly ‘to-go’ orders. But there are picnic tables outside so people don’t have to go too far. This year we’re also planning on staying open until about October.”
He added that opening a restaurant like this can be difficult because a lot of similar styles or restaurants in similar areas are seasonally run.
“We’re also keeping our menu small because we want to ensure that we don’t create waste. If you have a small, strong menu you won’t have meals that won’t be ordered, and you won’t be wasting product. We might expand our menu as we continue to grow. We could incorporate seasonal items that go hand in hand with our fishing seasons. Maybe we’ll have a halibut special instead of haddock.”
Murphy says he is looking forward to the opening of the restaurant and meeting new people.
“We’ve had people come in asking when we open, what we are, what the shop is going to be like. It’s exciting. It’s also great to see a new restaurant open in the town and bring in some more revenue.”
Go! Fish Eatery will be open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. beginning Saturday, July 7.
