Cindy’s Fish & Chips, on Route 1 in Freeport, has just opened for the season, serving clams and onion rings in those big, puffy pieces of batter. Alan Pottle and his daughter, Stephanie Pottle, are running the family-owned business, with Pam Pottle, Alan’s wife and Stephanie’s mom, chipping in.

Cindy’s Fish & Chips began more than 30 years ago, when Pottle’s father, Bob, started operating from a trailer near L.L. Bean. Today, the business offers picnic tables, or people can eat inside their vehicles.

Alan Pottle, who works at the University of Southern Maine in the off season, grew up in Freeport. His mother, Freda, worked in the shoe factories and then at L.L. Bean.

“In her later years she worked and co-owned Cindy’s,” Alan Pottle said. “She is still active in prepping and making desserts.”

Stephanie Pottle, 23, is a 2010 graduate of Freeport High School. She began working at Cindy’s when she was a little girl.

“I always hoped I would be able to keep my grandparents’ business in the family since I was younger,” she said.

Alan and Stephanie Pottle, busy getting the business ready for last Friday’s opening, took time to answer some questions about Cindy’s for the Tri-Town Weekly.

Q: Can you trace the history of Cindy’s Fish & Chips? How did your father happen to start it?

Alan: In 1980 Cindy’s began as a small portable wagon in town Freeport next to L.L. Bean. Then he moved it to a few different spots in town and then decided to bring the restaurant to Route 1 in Freeport on the land he owned.

Q: How old were you when you became interested? What did you like about it as a little girl?

Stephanie: I would say it was about seven years ago when I really thought I wanted to run the restaurant after my grandparents no longer were able to. I loved all the jobs that they let me do when I was little, but I can remember the most fun was pouring all the drinks and of course eating all the desserts my grandmother made.

Q: You don’t find clams and onion rings made in batter much anymore. Are customers surprised when they see those nice, puffy clams and onion rings?

Alan: Some people are looking for crumbs, but Cindy’s is famous for the batter. We feel we get more flavor by cooking them in our homemade batter. People who have not had our clams or onion rings in batter always come back saying how great our batter is.

Q: What do you do in the booth? Do you and your father have the same duties?

Stephanie: For the most part we share a lot of the same responsibilities, cooking and prepping. I do a lot of the daily and weekly ordering of our food, but we like to run everything by each other so we are all on the same page.

Q: What’s your busiest time of day? Do you have regulars who look forward to you opening every year? Do you see many of the local clammers?

Alan: We find the busiest time of day is between 12-2 and also a dinner rush later in the evening. We do have our regulars that are always excited to see the open flag out. We have a lot of clammers for friends and customers.

Q: Do some of your friends stop by?

Stephanie: Yes, some of my friends will stop by every now and then it’s always nice to see them come by and support us. Being around the restaurant throughout the years, we have made a lot of close friends.

Q: What’s your most popular dish with the customers? If someone just wants a little taste of fried clams, what’s the price for half a pint?

Alan: We do not have the biggest menu so most of our menu items are popular. Fish and chips, lobster rolls, fried clams, onion rings, are just a few that customers love. Depending on the market it ranges from $10-13.

Q: How any clams and potatoes do you go through a week?

Stephanie: We go through several gallons of shucked clams, and about 200 pounds of potatoes.

Q: What kind of fish do you use for your fish and chips? Are your fries and onion rings hand cut?

Alan: We use fresh haddock in our fish and chips, which is a favorite by lots of costumers and family. Both our fries and onion rings are hand cut – and delicious.

The father-daughter team of Alan and Stephanie Pottle are running the family business, Cindy’s Fish & Chips, at 292 U.S. Route 1 in Freeport. Staff photo by Larry Grard