Popular Cork chipper 'testing the market' for buyers

Third-generation family owners of the iconic KC’s in Douglas have confirmed that they are “testing the market” for potential buyers for the tiny takeaway.

Speaking on The Neil Prendeville show on Cork's RedFM, Josh Crawford, son of Wesley Crawford and grandson of KC’s founder Ken Crawford, said that the family are “testing” the market for potential buyers for KC’s, but that it “might never happen”.

“All I want to clarify is that we’re not closing, and we’re still here. We’re simply just testing the market really, and any potential buyer would need to have a lot on their plate really,” he said.

“They would have to have the same ethos as us so it’s a lot of hard work, and we are also unwilling to sell unless they take on our staff in terms as they are employed at the moment,” he added.

It is understood that a figure in the region of €2m would be a realistic guide price for the property.

First opened as a more traditional chipper in 1958 by the original KC (Ken Crawford), it was Ken’s son Wesley who was the innovator behind many of the much-loved fixtures of the current KC’s menu, such as the King Creole, Pitta-ful Poultry, and Kansas City Pitta.

“It was very traditional when it first opened. It was mostly my father when he took over at quite a young age who started innovating and started trying out new ideas,” said Josh.

“He would be responsible for the various pitta breads and the fancier items that are on the menu now, because he’s just one of those kinds of people, he has a very creative mind, he never stopped trying out new ideas,” he added.

Josh said that every week thousands of pittas fly out the doors of the takeaway beloved by Corkonians, and it’s support that the Crawfords are “incredibly grateful for”.