EP61 | Matty & Matteo Minchella | Hustle, Hospitality and Hungry Seagulls | Local Heroes Podcast

This week on Local Heroes, we’re joined by South Shields’ own Matty and Matteo Minchella - coming from one of the North East’s best-known hospitality families and now building a marketing agency focused on real growth. From early graft in family-run restaurants and ice cream businesses to helping brands scale through strategy, this is a straight-talking conversation about what it really takes to build something today. We get into the reality of hospitality in 2026; rising costs, tighter margins, and changing customer habits - and why so many businesses are feeling the pressure. The lads break down the difference between surface-level social media and proper marketing that drives revenue, and why long-term thinking, strong branding, and customer retention are what actually make a business sustainable. And as always, it goes off on one - stories of sneaking bottles out the family stockroom, mixing absolute chaos into homemade drinks, and early side hustles that somehow turned a profit. There’s a Greggs habit (including a claim of being in the top 0.1% of spenders) and a radgie seagull incident - swooping in, landing on a shoulder, and robbing a hot beef dip mid-bite - followed by a second, suspiciously coordinated attack days later - naturally leading to Chris floating the theory that these seagulls aren’t just winging it—they’re watching, learning, and possibly working in teams. That’s what Local Heroes does best - real people, real stories, and the kind of conversations you don’t get anywhere else. Insight, graft, chaos, and a good laugh all in one - straight out the North East. Support the podcast on our Patreon - patreon.com/LocalHeroesVIP