The popular all-day dining chain Bill’s is set to return to Putney High Street, nearly two years after closing its doors as part of a nationwide cull of underperforming sites.
A licensing application notice has appeared at 146-148 Putney High Street, the same premises where Bill’s operated for around a decade before closing in 2023. The chain is applying for a licence to serve alcohol and play music, with opening hours until 00:30 on weekdays and 01:30 on Fridays and Saturdays.
The return comes as Bill’s embarks on a careful expansion following what managing director Tom James has described as a “remarkable turnaround” of the business. The chain shrank from more than 80 sites to around 45 after closing over 20 underperforming restaurants in the wake of the pandemic.
James admitted the chain had previously “fallen into an expansion trap” by prioritising hitting site targets over building strong foundations. Owner Richard Caring, who acquired Bill’s in 2008, acknowledged the brand had become “tired” and needed reinventing.
The turnaround appears to have worked. Bill’s reported record sales in 2023, with earnings up 45 per cent on the previous year. The first half of 2024 saw a further 51 per cent increase, and the chain recently signed an exclusive delivery partnership with Deliveroo across all 47 of its sites.
The recovery was driven by repositioning the brand toward families, Gen Z customers and the brunch market, along with tighter cost controls and improved staff retention. The chain also introduced an AI-powered booking system that increased reservations by 36 per cent.
Putney would be the second location where Bill’s has returned to a site it previously closed. The chain reopened its Leicester restaurant in September 2025, three years after shutting it as part of the post-Covid closures. Milton Keynes, which opened in December 2024, was described as the chain’s first entirely new site in six years.
A gap in southwest London
Bill’s currently operates 11 restaurants across London, with the nearest sites to Putney in Wimbledon and Richmond, leaving a gap in southwest London coverage.
The Putney site originally opened around 2013, replacing a Slug and Lettuce pub. It became a popular spot for brunch, dinner and drinks over its decade of trading before closing as part of the wider restructuring.
The premises at 146-148 Putney High Street has sat empty since the closure. In a recent piece on empty shops clustering at both ends of the high street, we noted that it was forming a chain of closed shops that created a grim first impression for anyone arriving in Putney.
The licensing application, handled by solicitors Poppleston Allen, has a deadline of 8 January 2026 for representations. If approved, the restaurant could open in the first half of next year.
Bill’s has been contacted for comment on the reopening.
