Bill's to open milestone 70th site as two venues open on same day

Bill's Restaurants is to open its 70th site this month, in a rapid expansion drive that will see two locations open on the same day.

The Bishop's Stortford branch is set to open at 8am on 30 November, and will officially be the group's 70th opening. That will be quickly followed by the opening of a venue in Manchester's Trafford Centre at 9am, and the 72nd location within the Birmingham Bullring on 7 December at 8am.

Commenting on the milestone, founder Bill Collison said: "We're thrilled to have reached our 70th site. It's great to be welcoming more great people to our family all over the UK [and] we're focused on constantly improving the Bill's experience the more we grow, from menu and product innovation and staff training through to layout and design."

Originally founded in Lewes by Collinson, Bill's now operates 69 restaurants across the UK. Open from breakfast until late, the menu features a changing offer from breakfast to lunch to afternoon tea to late-night drinks, with a focus on fresh, deli-style produce.

Its most recent openings include London's Muswell Hill, Gloucester Quays, Taunton, Sheffield, Colchester, Witney and Leeds.

It was recently hit with controversy after it became involved in the tipping scandal in August this year, which first started with French brasserie Côte and spread to other casual dining groups including Turtle Bay and Las Iguanas. The restaurants were variously accused of a lack of transparency in their tipping policies, but all denied any wrongdoing.

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