“What the f*** is this?” he wrote.
“$18.50 for a large chips, greed has f***ing ruined this world! Nothing worse then when f***ing a***holes take over what was once a good takeaway shop!”
Defending the industry, Tselepis said takeaway operators faced significant operating-cost pressures.
Rising food, wage, superannuation, rent and insurance costs had forced him to lift prices by A$1 to A$2 every few years.
He told Yahoo News his net return on a A$32 fish dinner is about A$3.
Tselepis, who began working at the shop when he was 22, said the price of a serving of chips highlighted how dramatically costs had changed.
“I do remember back in the day, a basket of chips, which would have been about four kilos of chips, we’d retail for $5,” he told Yahoo.
“Now, what we call large chips, which we weigh out to 1.2 kilos, we retail for $12. So a big jump there.”
The cost of fish and chips in New Zealand has also increased, shifting from a “cheap and cheerful” family staple to a meal that many now consider a luxury.
David Lange (from left), Michael Bassett, Roger Douglas and Mike Moore having fish and chips after a failed leadership coup in the Labour Party, 1980. Photo / NZME
According to industry data, the price of fish and chips surged by 154% between September 2005 and September 2025.
The Herald reported in late 2025 that a standard single serving of fish and chips was priced at about $9.20 at some Auckland fish and chip shops.