Viral Bewdley chippy racks up millions of views as worker becomes internet sensation known as shop's 'diva'

Merchants, located next to the River Severn, has attracted more than 260,000 followers on its Tik Tok page, with one of its videos having been viewed 26 million times.

Staff member Destiny Harrold plays a starring role in the posts and has taken the internet by storm, becoming known as the 'chip shop diva'.

In the videos, the 19-year-old can be seen serving a 'customer', Mitch Key, who leads the Load Street chip shop's social media page.

Their 'catchphrases', such as "can I get a haddock meal", are regularly commented under the posts by fans of the videos.

Tik Tok users have even taken to recreating the videos, with some crafting their own version of the Merchants uniform. 

Owner says videos have gone 'above and beyond'

Chippy owner Anthony Akathiotis said: "I think it is [popular] because it's relatable and honest. Destiny is a nice girl, she is a trainee nurse, she is a lovely person. She has been with us since she was 16. 

"It has gone above and beyond. My game was to promote Bewdley, it is a great place but it seems to have been left to suffer on its own. 

"We have got a long winter ahead so as much exposure for Bewdley and the rest of the shops the better. My wife Lucy is heavily involved in this, she has been absolutely brilliant. Mitch is brilliant, he is the voice behind it.

“We are everywhere, we have got a worldwide thing and we are not gong to stop here. It is part of our business but it emphasises what we do and its a fun side of it as well."

Mr Akathiotis, who took over as owner of the business 21 years ago, said he has had requests from people to 'be a chip shop diva for the day' and even had celebrities 'like' the social media posts.

Mr Akathiotis added that he hopes to make Bewdley "go viral" after recently "struggling" due to ongoing works to build flood barriers near the chippy, which opened 42 years ago.

He said: "Bewdley is a great place, it has a lot of independent pubs, shops, and good people in the town and it deserves the recognition. If something like this can make it go viral - lets make Bewdley go viral. 

"We are struggling, it has not been an easy game. We have temporary flood barriers on our side [of the bridge] but on the other side they are building permanent barriers, so they made the bridge one-way over. It has put people off. It is a lot of work going on - people think Bewdley is closed."

To view the viral videos, people can visit merchants_fishandchips on Tik Tok.