Bellingham and Rogers mural gives Birmingham chip shop a 30% boost to trade

A mural celebrating Birmingham footballers Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers has helped transform trade at Classic Fryer, with owner Ramesh Natwadia reporting a 20-30% increase in customers since the artwork appeared on the side of the shop.

Ramesh, who took over the takeaway in Quinton, Birmingham, in March 2025, said the unexpected mural has helped put the long-established chip shop back on the map, attracting visitors from across the UK and rekindling interest in its traditional orange chips.

Commenting on the mural by Dudley artist Dion Kitson, Ramesh said: “I had no idea it was happening. One morning there were two guys waiting outside when I arrived. They asked if they could paint the mural and I said, ‘Why not?’ We just thought it would make people happy, we could cheer on England and show support for two local lads. We never thought about promotion or advertising.”

The mural, celebrating Stourbridge-born Jude Bellingham and Halesowen-born Morgan Rogers, went up on 10th July, the day before England’s quarter-final against Norway. Since then it has become a destination in its own right. Ramesh added: “People are stopping to take photos all day long. Families, young people, older people, community groups – everyone wants a picture with it. We’ve even had people come from Bournemouth. It’s really brought the community together – the last seven days have felt like a festival.”

The increased footfall has boosted trade and renewed interest in orange chips, a Black Country speciality that has become increasingly difficult to find. Ramesh added: “Trade has gone up by around 20 to 30%. It’s given us a really good boost at a time when many chip shops have been finding things difficult. And people are coming in asking for orange chips again. Some tell me they used to come here with their grandparents and had completely forgotten about the shop. Others have travelled from much further away after seeing the mural.”

He believes the publicity has also helped preserve part of the region’s food heritage. “Orange chips have been around since the Second World War, but people were slowly forgetting about them. We wanted to promote our traditional food and remind people it’s still here.”

When Ramesh inherited the takeaway it had lost much of its local profile. However, he has spent the past 16 months refurbishing the premises and improving the menu. “The shop wasn’t really known anymore,” he added. “I’ve been working hard to improve the building, invest inside the shop and focus on quality. People don’t just care about quantity now, they care about quality. If someone tries our food once, I want them to come back.”

Although Classic Fryer is his first fish and chip shop, Ramesh has spent his career in foodservice, previously managing Indian restaurants and Subway outlets before deciding to run his own business.

The mural has also brought widespread media attention, with interviews on BBC, ITV and Sky News, but Ramesh is focused on turning the influx of visitors into regular customers. “I’m giving it my best,” he said. “I don’t want to let people down now they’ve found us again.”