Social media post helps struggling fish and chip restaurant in Lethbridge

When 69-year-old John McMillan moved to Canada from Scotland, his dream was to open an authentic fish and chips restaurant. It became a reality seven years ago when he opened Whitbie’s Fish & Chips in west Lethbridge. But McMillan can’t afford to pay himself a salary because he says the location is not visible and business has been extremely slow.

“People don’t know where I am. The last three months here have been absolutely horrible, just horrible,” McMillan said.

McMillan is not looking for any handouts or sympathy, but when Colin Ross came in earlier this week, he felt compelled to help.

In a matter of days, things changed at Whitbie’s Fish & Chips, all because Ross posted a rant on social media supporting McMillan and raving about the amazing food.

“I have seen posts all the way up from Alaska down to California,” Ross said. “People are sharing it that are not from Lethbridge.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I have seen posts all the way up from Alaska down to California," Ross said. "People are sharing it that are not from Lethbridge."

“We just got crashed yesterday. We did not know what to expect. It was the biggest day I have had in seven years,” McMillan explained.

Since the post was published, the lineups formed and the restaurant has been jampacked, revealing the power of social media.

“He did it out of the goodness of his heart and Lethbridge came and did it out of the goodness of their hearts,” McMillan added.