Are they chips or fries?

On Thursday afternoon, at the start of the long weekend, I rode my bike from downtown to catch the ferry home. To no real surprise, despite the new summer schedule, the ferry was running almost 30 minutes late. As I'd had a longish ride, and after stopping I was a bit cool, I decided to treat myself to some chips, as in fish and chips, from the takeout at Troll's in Horseshoe Bay.

For some reason, the restaurant, when referring to these deep-fried pieces of potato use two different terms. When sold with pieces of battered fish they are "chips". But when sold on their own they are "fries".

It is these sorts of inconsistencies that drive people crazy. Having grown up in Australia, Canada and the United States, I speak both "chip" and "fry", but for a business that depends to a large degree on the tourist trade you think that might be aware of the potential for misunderstanding.

It may seem petty, but what do businesses hope to gain by confusing their customers, or potential customers?