What a Local Fish & Chip Shop Can Teach Us About Marketing and Community
Sometimes, the best marketing lessons don’t come from big brands — they come from small, local businesses doing things really well.
Grandpa’s Fish Bar in Lanchester, County Durham, is one of them.
Before they even opened, they’d already built a community around their brand.
How? By focusing on one key thing: making people care.
They didn’t hide behind a logo. They showed their faces.
They shared the story behind their name (a tribute to their grandad).
They posted consistently and authentically, giving people a reason to support them before they’d even tried the food.
When I finally visited, I drove five miles past at least four other fish and chip shops.
And when I got there, the same faces from their marketing were behind the counter… Calling customers by name, chatting, and genuinely connecting.
The food was great, but the experience was even better.
It’s a reminder that great marketing is rooted in community.
It’s about people, not posts. Connection, not conversion.
