After a good-hearted post on Facebook, a struggling restaurant is back in business.
Following a night of drinking and a round of golf, Good Samaritan Colin Ross said he needed “some grease” to help cure a hangover. Ross decided to stop at Whitbie’s Fish & Chips in Lethbridge for a bite to eat but was surprised to see the establishment was empty except for the owner.
“When I first walked in it was dead, it was like there wasn’t a soul in the building,” Ross said. “I (saw) this old guy sitting in the back in his chair. I noticed the restaurant was spotless, very well taken care of and it was a really nice establishment.”
John McMillan opened Whitbie’s seven years ago, but the 69-year-old owner said the last three months have been hard on the restaurant.
“There’s been some construction going on beside us, I don know if that’s got something to do with it,” McMillan said. “There’s not much happening in that little strip mall, but most of the stores are empty.”
After talking with McMillan about his financial struggles, Ross decided to give McMillan a helping hand through social media.
He had no idea he was about to become an internet celebrity.
Ross posted a photo of the restaurant on Facebook and his good deed resonated with people online. By the next day, McMillan said there has been a steady increase to his business with a lineup out the door at Whitbie’s.
“I would say (business) increased by 400, 500 per cent,” McMillan said. “The people just line up, they take up all the chairs we have along the wall, then they start to line up down that hallway and it just gets fuller and fuller.
“There’s people still waiting outside to get in.”
Ross’s post has been shared over 8,500 times online and the story has been picked up by websites in nearly 20 countries, including Vietnam, Pakistan and Belgium.
“I do a lot of good deeds like that quite often, it just managed to touch people in a special way,” Ross said of his post. “This particular story really went off the charts.”
Ross said his viral post has gained so much attention online that he has been offered work in marketing and could lead him to a new career as a blogger or critic.
“I’m a laid off oilpatch worker, so I would definitely love to get an opportunity to start something new.”
