The Fat Seagull switches up its strategy

What does the business do? 

Founded by Catherine and Mark Hallsworth in 2012, The Fat Seagull is a family-run deli based in Sandliands, Sutton-on-Sea - a popular tourist destination on the Lincolnshire coast. As well as serving freshly-made food created from the finest local ingredients, The Fat Seagull showcases a range of work from local artists. 

What’s the history? 

Seeing the opportunity to turn a former post office into an exciting local hotspot, in 2012 Catherine and Mark transformed the space into a café and bistro specialising in the finest, locally sourced cuisine. Their 20 years of hospitality experience, as well as their dedication to quality and customer service, meant that over the years the bistro went from strength to strength, establishing an excellent reputation among both tourists and locals. 

Unfortunately, like many other hospitality venues across the country, in 2020 The Fat Seagull was forced to close its doors as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The cosy, intimate space the pair had worked so hard to cultivate wasn’t suited to the new social distancing regulations, but Catherine and Mark decided to take this setback in their stride and diversify.  They began to sell Mark’s freshly baked bread through the veranda during lockdown, and after seeing much success with this approach, they decided to reshape the business into a take-out deli. A passionate artist, Catherine also had the idea to turn the extra square feet that restructuring their bistro would create into a space for local artists to display their work. Still, they needed some expert support to turn this vision into a reality.