Bill’s has reported “record-breaking” financial results, with an increase in like-for-like sales of 4.6% in 2023.
The Richard Caring backed concept reported sales of £92.6m across its 45-strong restaurant estate.
Last year, the group EBITDA was up 45% to over £8m from £5.5m in 2022, driven by covers growth, strengthening efficiencies across the business, with menu pricing held at under 1% throughout 2023.
The success of last year has encouraged the team at Bill’s to develop a new concept to strengthen its the estate.
As reported over the Easter weekend, the all-day casual dining restaurant is to launch two café bars, which are being trialled in two existing Bill’s sites in Newbury and St Albans.
The concept will offer both a selection of the core Bill’s dishes, as well as additions to the menu including a wider variety of sharing dishes, cakes and pastries, draft beers, and hot drinks all served in a new.
Service will offer both the options of ordering at the bar or guests will be able to order and pay at their table. If successful, more will be opened across the country.
The space in the two new café bars in the Newbury and St Albans sites, will be converted into distinct “zones” that will allow for the space to be utilised by the guest in a way that comes naturally to them, producing a fun and relaxed environment.
The renovated sites will present a refreshed conservatory dining space and a relaxing lounge with both areas serviced from extended bars.
Both sites feature terraces for morning coffee or have cocktails with food in the evenings, and also nod to Bill’s early beginnings as a greengrocer turned Café in the early 2000s.
Richard Caring, who also owns The Ivy Collection, Caprice and Birley Groups said: “The strong financial figures prove that Bill’s remains a tremendously popular dining location, offering a best-in-class food and drink offer in stylish and unique locations. We are converting both the Newbury and St Albans sites into Café Bars. We believe they will be well received by the public and will open up the opportunity to explore future conversions and growth for the brand.”
Tom James, managing director of Bill’s, added: “We welcomed over five million guests over 2023 throughout breakfast, brunch and dinner. With our goal of Everyone Leaves Happy, I am pleased to say we saw a fantastic increase in guest reputation, NPS and Mystery Diner scores. The inception of Bill’s Cafe Bar is an exciting time for the business and our teams, after our collective efforts over the last couple of years to strengthen our operations, we are now at a place where, alongside continuing to innovate our core offer, we can put efforts into new opportunities such as this to develop in line with current industry trends and guest demands.”
In addition to a new menu, the Café Bar format will have offers unique to the two initial sites, starting with a generous happy hour promotion encompassing both drinks and food in the form of small-plates, a strong weekend prosecco offer and a selection of Bill’s signature favourite dishes available each evening between Sunday and Thursday for just £10. To find out more information, please visit the website. Bill’s Café Bar Newbury opens on the 1st April 2024 Bill’s Café Bar St Albans opens on the 29th April 2024.
