A chance encounter with a first time customer has allowed a 69-year-old man the opportunity to continue his dream of running a local fish & chip shop.
John McMillan, the owner of Whitbie’s Fish & Chips, works 14 hour days, beginning his prep work at 6:30 in the morning. The former master electrician dreamed of owning a restaurant from a young age in his native Scotland.
“I was just fascinated with the fish and chip truck that came around every Friday night,” explained McMillan.
Business has been slow of late and the location of the restaurant is off the beaten path. After funding an expensive marketing campaign for his struggling shop, McMillan has been unable to pay himself a salary.
On a whim, Colin Ross paid a visit to Whitbie’s.
“I've lived on the west side for years and never ever stopped here,” said Ross. “I've probably read that sign a hundred times. I was like, ‘I need to go check that place out’."
Ross entered the restaurant and encountered a seated McMillan in the empty shop. The two struck up a conversation and McMillan told Ross of the issues he faced.
After enjoying his meal, Ross knew he wanted to help McMillan in whatever we he could. “You notice when another guy is busting his ass and he wants to make it,” said Ross. “To see that look of him bored, sitting there, it's eating him up inside."
Ross turned to Facebook, posting about his experience and encouraging people to visit Whitbie’s.
Within hours, Ross’ post had been shared thousands of times.
The following business day, Whitbie’s was flooded with customers. McMillan fed a steady line of customers from opening until after his regular closing time.
“It was worse than swamped,” laughed McMillan. “It was so good though."
The newfound customers were happy to support the local business.
“Without our support they're gone,” said Spencer Shields. “You can't have that when you have quality product and good food."
“I saw the post on Facebook,” added Tia Shields. “It is kind of out of the way but I love places like this. I go and search for them."
“Lethbridge thrives off of small businesses,” Cory Degroot explained. “We know that. It's a close knit community. My parents own a candy shop downtown. We know exactly how that works."
Ross says Lethbridge residents have stepped up in support of a cause before and he had little doubt they’d come through for McMillan.
“It's made its rounds” said Ross of the Facebook post. “This place is on the map, there's no doubt."
With the influx of customers, McMillan has had to hire additional staff and he’s optimistic the community support will continue as feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
McMillan hopes to continue working his dream job for decades.
With files from CTV’s Kaella Carr
