Hospitality power couple Garry & Lisa Rosser on long hours, lucky breaks, and the highs and lows of opening new venture, Sydney’s, 10 years after The Scallop Shell.
If you’ve spent any time in Bath, chances are you’ve come across Garry and Lisa Rosser’s much-loved Monmouth Place restaurant, The Scallop Shell. Always buzzy and fun, it’s a go-to for fantastic fish and chips and much more, from shucked-to-order oysters to fruits de mer and whole Dorset crab or lobster.
“We always dreamed of opening our own business,” says Garry. Growing up on a council estate, he and Lisa lived next door as children before he moved away. By 16 he was working as a fishmonger at Gateway when Lisa came in one day with her mum – they’ve been inseparable ever since.
“I wanted to do fish and chips because of the childhood memories,” Garry explains. “It was a very working-class meal. We never went to restaurants. Friday night was the luxury – the van would come round, or we’d go to the Bear Flat chippy, The Merry Fryer. It was the highlight of the week.”
Garry earned his chef stripes at some of Bath’s best-known restaurants, including The Queensberry, Moon & Sixpence and FishWorks, before a lucky break in 2008: opening a fishmongers and seafood deli at a local farm shop, followed by a takeaway. “It was long hours and really hard work, making everything from scratch,” says Lisa, who left her job to join the business full-time. “We made mistakes at the beginning,” Garry adds, “but I knew I could use my chef skills to do it well.” The venture proved a great success, allowing them to save enough to open The Scallop Shell in 2015.
The years since have seen highest highs and lowest lows. Winning Fish & Chip Restaurant of the Year at The National Fish & Chip Awards 2016 led to a “phenomenal increase in business,” says Garry. But by 2017 they were doing too much and made the difficult decision to close The Scallop Shell takeaway. “It was a really tough time, but the only way to move forward. That fear of failure keeps you level-headed, and actually it turned out to be one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.”
They could have stopped there, with a thriving restaurant that counts Marco Pierre White among its regulars. Instead, in 2025 they launched Sydney’s, a Mediterranean-inspired bar and kitchen next door, with rooftop dining. Guests can drop in for drinks, enjoy the likes of crab thermidor on a sunny terrace overlooking Bath’s rooftops, or tuck into a sharing Sunday roast.
“It hasn’t been a bed of roses,” Garry admits. “Our initial vision wasn’t quite right – you shouldn’t just do something for the business. In hospitality, you have to find the passion.” Nearly a year on, and plenty of tweaks later, they’ve found it. “Now we’re cooking from the heart, inspired by our travels and by Lisa’s dad, Sydney, who always supported us,” he says. “He was a big family man,” Lisa adds, “and inspired who we are today.”
That family ethos runs deep. Their son Dan started in the fishmongers at 15, helped build The Scallop Shell and now runs his own award-winning seafood restaurant. Daughter Becky heads up HR and admin, and granddaughter Lexie charms guests front of house. Lisa may say she “goes with the flow,” but her role across every part of the business – and their 40-strong team – is vital.
“The most important thing is honesty,” says Garry. “Using the best produce and pricing honestly. You can’t cut corners when you’re trying to inspire everyone to do their best every day. It’s harder now, but I enjoy it more than ever. It’s long hours and never stops, but Sydney’s is turning; growing and getting busier – which makes it all worthwhile.”
sydneysbath.co.uk | thescallopshell.co.uk
Photography by Joe Short, an award-winning
photographer based in Bath. joeshort.com