Proto Restaurant Group News

Proto supports ‘Go Red Campaign’

February 3rd, 2012

Go Red In Feb

Proto Restaurant Group is proud to be a part of the ‘Go Red Campaign’ for the Love Your Hospitals charity which Proto Restaurant Group owner Andy Sparsis is a patron of.

All of our restaurants have been fully supportive of the charity in the past with Food Restaurant hosting the launch of the Cath Lab Appeal back in June 2011 and The Fish Factory sponsoring the Superhero Fun Walk for the same cause in September 2011.

The latest fundraiser in support of the new £1million cardiac cath lab is ‘Go Red in Feb’ and Proto Restaurant Group are doing exactly that on Valentines Day. All members of staff at all three of our restaurants have been invited to wear anything red and donate a minimum of £1 to the charity. Why not book a table on the 14th February and come along dressed in red and support the cause yourself. Call 01903 227780 (Food), 01903 207123 (The Fish Factory, Worthing) or 01903 715000 (The Fish Factory, Littlehampton) to check availability and book a table.

Proto Restaurant Group is calling everybody else to support the Cardiac Cath Lab Appeal and join in with ‘Wear Red in Feb’, even if it’s just a red tie, red socks or red lipstick, it can be absolutely anything red, the important thing is you take part and donate a minimum of £1 per person to the appeal. Proto’s aim is to get as many businesses in Worthing to ‘Wear Red’ to raise as much money as possible for a worthy cause.

There will be a ‘Go Red in Feb’ Wall of Fame at Worthing Hospital, so everybody that get’s involved with be placed on the wall and receive FREE promotion at the same time so please get involved and support your local community.

To get involved please contact Lesley-Anne or Tina at Worthing Hospital at hello@loveyourhospital.org or phone: 0800 028 4890. Check out the website www.loveyourhopsitals.org for more info.

Posted in Charity events, Community Events, Fish Factory Littlehampton, Fish Factory Worthing, Food Restaurant Worthing, Staff | No Comments »

New Express Luncheon Menu at Food Restaurant

January 20th, 2012

Food Restaurant, in New Street, Worthing, has launched it’s new and updated Express Luncheon Menu for early 2012. The menu, which has been updated with the addition of dishes such as the “Down Town Cyprus Sandwich – A charcoal grilled pork skewer flavoured with crushed oregano seeds and olive oil, served in a stone baked pita bread with coriander salad and french fries!” is already proving very popular, and also has a Vegetarian alternative.

Down Town Cyprus Sandwich

Another new dish on the menu is the “Moscow Merchant’s Kiev” - British chicken breast minced and stuffed with garlic butter, leeks and chives. Oven baked in bread crumbs served with mash potato. This is one of the favourite dishes in the restaurant at the moment and we really recommend you come in and experience it for yourself. Call us on 01903 227780 to book a table and view the full menu online here.

It’s not just the lunch menu that’s had a refresh for the New Year though, we’ve updated our main menu with the amazing addition of our Paella Stuffed Squid for just £14.90! Why not see what else our main menu has to offer?

It’s not just Food Restaurant that is undergoing a menu update though, The Fish Factory will soon be launching it’s new Spoil Menu so keep checking back here for updates on new menus, dishes and events at Proto Restaurant Group.

Call us at The Fish Factory Littlehampton on 01903 715000 or at Worthing on 01903 207123 to book a table or come and see us at Food in Worthing, call us on 01903 227780 to book a table.

Posted in Fish Factory Littlehampton, Fish Factory Worthing, Food Restaurant Worthing, Menu additions, New Dishes | No Comments »

Meet the Team – Stuart Slevin

January 6th, 2012

So it’s been a year since we interviewed Stuart Slevin, the Executive Chef at The Fish Factory, so we thought we would speak to him again to see how his year in the job has been!

Stuart Slevin

How are you finding the role of Executive Chef at The Fish Factory?

It’s brilliant. Obviously there are added pressures being the Executive Chef but im getting to do lots of other things like Health & Safety and Food Hygiene checks which is really good. The NVQ in Management that I completed before we spoke last year has come in really handy and I now have lots of lovely spreadsheets and training documents everywhere, which is nice because it’s what I’m interested in anyway!

Has anything changed in your role during the year?

I’ve basically just gained more and more responsibility as the year has gone on really. I’m now the Premises Alcohol License Holder which means that any sales of alcohol are my responsibility so it’s important I ensure everybody is following the appropriate age laws which to be fair, everybody here is excellent at doing.

The management side of things has really taken a prominent role as well, im doing a lot more consulting with the restaurant managers and other chefs which is also nice.

What does 2012 have in store for the menus?

Well, we are updating the spoil menu for the new year, including bringing back the Bouillabaisse after so many requests! Since we last spoke as well, we have introduced Sunday Roasts at The Fish Factory, offering a choice of either Beef or Pork and we are now selling 30/40 of them each Sunday which is great! Who knows, we might add Lamb to the list too, but for the time being we’ll definately stay clear of Turkey, let everyone recover from Christmas first!

Enough about work then, what do you get up to outside of work?

I love to cycle! This year me and Proto owner Andy Sparsis completed the London to Brighton bike race which was brilliant! It was my 18th time completing the course but my first for 5 years so I really enjoyed getting back into it. As part of that, we initiated a cycle to work scheme for Proto Restaurant Group and now numerous members of staff at Proto cycle into work everyday which is just fantastic!

So, the Olympic year has arrived, being a keen cyclist are you excited?

To be honest, im still quite upset about the ticketing for the event! It’s disappointing that so many people couldn’t get hold of tickets for such a once-in-a-lifetime event in this country, I just feel like we’ve all been scammed!

That said though, obviously not everyone that comes over for the games will be staying in London, so hopefully with our excellent position on the coast with good transport links to London, plenty of people will come and stay in Worthing and Littlehampton and bring us lots more business. It can only be good for businesses in our area.

So there you have it, that’s Stuart Slevin, Executive Chef at The Fish Factory. Why not come in and meet the whole team? Call us at The Fish Factory Littlehampton on 01903 715000 or at Worthing on 01903 207123 to book a table or come and see us at Food in Worthing, call us on 01903 227780 to book a table.

Posted in Fish Factory Littlehampton, Fish Factory Worthing, Menu additions, New Dishes, Staff | No Comments »

Splash FM & Food Annual Christmas Party Nights

December 16th, 2011

Childrens Choir

Food Restaurant in Worthing kicked off the towns festive celebrations this year with some hugely popular and successful party nights in partnership with Splash FM. With over 200 people attending the nights on 5th and 12th December, Food Restaurant and Proto Restaurant Group made a brilliant, lasting impression.

With snow, mulled wine, egg nog and a three course traditional Christmas dinner, attendees were hard pushed to want more, but more is what they got! Santa arrived with gifts for all the good girls and Lizzie Haynes – winner of Worthing Idol 2011 – performed a selection of Christmas songs for everyone.

Both party nights were great successes, both individually and as a pair and plenty of local businesses and organisations attended including Santander and Worthing Hospital.

If you would like to book your very own special Christmas party at Food Restaurant, please call us on 01903 227780 or come in and visit us in New Street, Worthing, BN11 3BT.

Posted in Christmas menu, Events, Food Restaurant Worthing | No Comments »

Shiny, Happy, Proto People

December 2nd, 2011

Proto Football Team

Members of the Proto Restaurant Group staff have been busy playing football in a local Leisure League at Worthing Leisure Centre, and have been enjoying a recent run of good form. The team play every Thursday evening and have won their last 3 games in a row, giving the team morale a big boost!

The team funded their kit by receiving sponsorship from Proto Restaurant Group owner Andy Sparsis and Proto also help them out with payments for administrative fees and the cost of hiring the astro-turf pitch for games. The team kit is white with a black trim and features the Proto logo on the front.

Players in the team include Dagnuis Jasiulionis, Isvtan Kundi, Marco Usai and Glenn Slark, all from Food restaurant.

There is a reason why we call ourselves ‘Shiny, Happy, Proto People’ and that’s because no matter what outdoor activity our team is interested in, Proto are always happy to help them! So, if any of our team are reading this, what ideas have you got?

If you are interested in hearing all about the Proto Football Team or our other outdoor pursuits, come in and visit us at Food Restaurant (01903 227780), The Fish Factory, Worthing (01903 207123) or The Fish Factory, Littlehampton (01903 715000).

Proto Supports Staff

Posted in Food Restaurant Worthing, Staff | No Comments »

The Fish Factory, Littlehampton supports RNLI

November 18th, 2011

Malcolm Somner, Lady Mary Mumford and Andrew Sparsis

The Fish Factory in Littlehampton hosted a Champagne and Fish Supper on Monday 14th November, in aid of RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution). The night was excellently attended with Malcolm Somner – the Littlehampton RNLI Fundraising Branch Chairman – and Lady Mary Mumford present.

Having been around since 1824, RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea, more than 139,000 to date! They provide a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service around the coasts of the UK and RoI, as well as a seasonal lifeguard service on many of the busiest beaches in England and Wales.

The Fish Factory Team

The RNLI also works to promote sea and beach safety. They rely on more than 40,000 volunteers – on lifeboats, at stations, on beaches, and in fundraising.

The evening, with live entertainment in the form of a Jazz band and Charity auction was a huge success with over £3500 being raised for the RNLI. Everyone at The Fish Factory, Littlehampton and Proto Restaurant Group is extremely proud to be a part of such a successful event.

If you would like to hear more about our RNLI evening, or simply fancy a great night out with excellent food, call The Fish Factory, Littlehampton on 01903 715000 to book a table. Alternatively come in and visit us in Worthing by calling 01903 207123 or visit us in our fantastic Food Restaurant by calling 01903 227780.

Posted in Charity events, Charity nights, Community Events, Events, Fish Factory Littlehampton | 2 Comments »

Proto Restaurant Group provides favourite places to eat

November 4th, 2011

It has long been regarded in the local area that Proto Restaurant Group’s restaurants are the top places to eat in Worthing and Littlehampton, but now they have reached the next level!

There was an article in the Evening Standard on 12th October, which talks about Worthing’s growth as a town and how it is stepping out of the shadow of it’s big brother, Brighton. The article goes on to explain exactly why Worthing is such a catch, with fantastic architecture, brilliant schools, great pubs and superb restaurants. Proto Restaurant Group’s two Worthing based restaurants – Food and The Fish Factory – are mentioned as the rated places to eat in town by locals.

Proto Restaurant Group, Food and The Fish Factory are all extremely proud to be doing their bit towards putting Worthing on a map. Proto always likes to get involved with the local community with fundraisers and charity events as we feel that Worthing deserves to be regarded as highly as Brighton as it is such a fantastic town.

Not only are Proto pleased to be mentioned in the article, but they are proud to have restaurants situated in a town on the up! To book a table at any of our restaurants, call us on 01903 227780 (Food), 01903 207123 (The Fish Factory, Worthing) or 01903 715000 (The Fish Factory, Littlehampton).

To read the full article, click here.

Posted in Fish Factory Littlehampton, Fish Factory Worthing, Food Restaurant Worthing, Press, Reviews | No Comments »

The Fish Factory voted top restaurant

October 20th, 2011

The Fish Factory in Worthing has been featured in an article of top restaurants in the UK outside of London. The article, written for Sainsbury’s magazine, features 37 excellent restaurants and eateries around the country, as voted for by their readers.

A quote was included by Jane Blackman, presumably one of the reader’s that voted for Proto Restaurant Group’s restaurant, The Fish Factory:

‘The best fish and chips in the area with amazing service and a huge choice of seafood, as well as veggie options.’
Jane Blackman

Everyone at The Fish Factory and Proto Restaurant Group are extremely proud of this achievement, especially as only four restaurants were selected from the South East, meaning The Fish Factory, Worthing beat off plenty of competition to earn a place in the magazine.

The full article can be found here with The Fish Factory located on the right hand side of page 2 (in the blue box for South East).

If you would like to book a table at The Fish Factory and experience just what is so special about the restaurant, call us on 01903 207123 or come in and visit us on Brighton Road, Worthing.

Posted in Fish Factory Worthing, Press, menu | No Comments »

Horror House Halloween Night

October 10th, 2011

On the 31st October, Food Restaurant in Worthing will be hosting it’s Horror House Halloween Night – a night of fine dining on school dinners and dead cool fun!

Proto Restaurant Group always tries to keep seasonal and this Halloween is no different with Food pulling out all the stops to provide an action filled, entertaining evening.

Not only will the menu be completely Halloween themed, with dishes such as ‘Toad in a Coffin‘ and ‘Parsnip and blood orange soup‘ but all of our diners will be wowed by our Fire Eaters and Freaky Fortune Teller.

The evening starts from 7pm and included in the £20 price is 3 courses, FREE Rocky Horror cocktails ALL night and a disco until late.

To book your place at this spooky extravaganza, call Food on 01903 227780. Make sure you book soon though, as places are running out very quickly and you don’t want to be disappointed!

Horror House Halloween Night

£20 for 3 courses & a night of amazing entertainment

Call 01903 227780 to book your place today!

Posted in Events, Food Restaurant Worthing | No Comments »

Heroes Welcome

September 23rd, 2011

Proto Restaurant Group has always led the way in Worthing, whether it be with their innovative advertising campaigns, their top-quality food or their excellent customer service, but this September, they are leading the field of Worthing Businesses in a sign of respect and appreciation to the British Armed Forces.

You may not be aware of it, but there is a nationwide scheme in place to recognise members of the armed services for the sacrifices they make for us. This scheme is called ‘Heroes Welcome‘ and it has come to Worthing thanks to Sharon Clarke, Worthing Town Centre Manager and Tim Loughton MP. Proto Restaurant Groups, The Fish Factory and Food restaurants are the first restaurants in Worthing to sign up for the scheme.

More than 50 towns and cities have already signed up to the scheme and Sharon Clarke – Worthing Town Centre Manager – say’s it’s about time Worthing got involved:
“Sunny Worthing always offers a warm welcome but this scheme helps businesses to show their appreciation to members of the armed services and the sacrifices they make for us.”

Heroes Welcome

Andy Sparsis was presented with his Heroes Welcome stickers – which will be displayed in the windows of Food and The Fish Factory – on the 16th September with Tim Loughton MP, Mayor Ann Barlow and Councillor Tom Wye present to officially launch the scheme in Worthing and congratulate Andy on leading the way in Worthing.

Upon receiving his sticker for both restaurants, Proto owner Andy Sparsis had the following to say about the armed forces:
“Having lived in many countries around the world, sometimes we the British public, forget how safe we are in the UK and we forget to whom we owe this complacency too.”

The Heroes Welcome doesn’t stop at current service personnel, the welcome extends to ex-service personnel, their families and the families of those whose lives have been lost in service. Proto Restaurant Group would like to extend an open invitation to all that fall under the Heroes Welcome to come and visit Food in New Street (01903 227780) and The Fish Factory in Brighton Road (01903 207123).

Posted in Community Events, Fish Factory Worthing, Food Restaurant Worthing | No Comments »