Bill's York Restaurant — Restaurant in England

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ James @ York

I just want to say the biggest thank you to James at the York Bills branch for making our lunch such a lovely and stress-free experience. I came in with my mum and my 5-month-old baby, and from the very start he went above and beyond to look after us.

We asked if it was possible to sit somewhere a little quieter as we had the baby with us, and he instantly found us a perfect table away from the busier areas. Before we’d even thought to ask, he also pointed out where the baby changing facilities were, which was such a thoughtful touch and really put us at ease.

After a hectic morning, we then realised (in true new-mum fashion!) that we’d completely forgotten the baby bottles. We dashed to Boots to grab some and when we came back, James didn’t hesitate for a second when we asked if he could help us sterilise them. He kindly did three bottles for us without making us feel like it was any trouble at all. Honestly, that kind of kindness made the world of difference to our day.

On top of that, he was brilliant with our little one and couldn’t have been more accommodating when it came to adjusting our meals too. Nothing was too much effort for him, and he made us feel so welcome and cared for throughout.

What really stood out, though, was when he helped us lift the pram up some steps. After spending the whole day in York where nobody had even offered to help (despite me having the baby strapped to me and my mum left struggling with the heavy pram), it meant so much that James noticed straight away and stepped in without hesitation. It was such a small act for him, but such a huge one for us.

James is without a doubt a real credit to the Bills team. His thoughtful, friendly, and genuinely helpful approach turned what could have been a stressful lunch into such a positive and memorable one. We’re so grateful for everything he did, and we’ll definitely be coming back soon – hopefully to...

First time visiting Bill’s after hearing some positive things. The waitress at the door was absolutely lovely. We ordered, the food came quickly, they did mess up the order slightly but rectified it straight away. The food itself was okay, nothing to write home about, perhaps we didn’t order the right dishes, but it wasn’t bad. What was odd was the lack of service for the rest of the meal, no one checked if we wanted desserts or another drink, despite the restaurant not being busy.

The biggest disappointment, though, was the so-called “optional” 12.5% service charge. It is automatically added to the bill, and the only way to remove it is to ask a member of staff. Whilst the management insists this is optional, in reality it doesn’t feel optional at all. Most customers are uncomfortable asking for a charge to be taken off the bill, especially when it involves confronting the very staff they are tipping. That awkwardness is exactly why this practice comes across as pushy and misleading.

The manager said that the charge is distributed among the whole team but that doesn’t make it any fairer. Guests should have the right to decide whether to reward the team as a whole or their individual server, not have a fixed percentage imposed on them in advance. Likewise, while the restaurant points out that the service charge is “clearly stated” on menus and itemised on the bill, that doesn’t change the fact that the tactic relies on people feeling pressured not to opt out. Transparency doesn’t make an aggressive practice any less aggressive.

We did ask to have it removed and shared this feedback with the manager, but it left a sour taste. If I want to tip (which I usually do), I prefer to choose the amount myself in line with the service received, not have a percentage dictated to me. This practice overshadows the whole experience, and for that reason, I don’t think I’ll...

Went this morning for breakfast. A very long wait for drinks and food with other tables who arrived after us getting their orders before us.

My partner is very allergic to onions and told this to the waitress before we ordered. She stated that as onion wasn’t a registered allergy she wouldn’t put a note on the till but there wasn’t any onions on the dish he had ordered so it would be fine. (Really, if onion is present in the kitchen a note should be put on to let the chefs know there is an allergy to ingredients present in the kitchen to ensure they can avoid potential cross contamination)

After waiting 40mins for food we finally got our mains, to which my partner discovered onion on his. The explanation given for this were not adequate - the onions on the dish had ‘fallen on it from the pass and wasn’t supposed to be on the dish’ the onions were on the food he’d ordered (hidden under other ingredients) and if they weren’t and onions had fallen onto the dish, this shows they are lax about cross contamination and allergen control. At this point my partner needed to leave and after waiting so long for food to come out in the first place, didn’t have time to wait for them to cook him another meal.

The rest of the food was fine at best but cold and also worrying as to what else may have cross contaminated as one of our party was vegetarian.

Bills did comp our bill which was a decent gesture of goodwill, however this doesn’t completely resolve the issue for us and highlights how un-seriously they appear to take allergies at Bills. It’s a very serious mistake to make and can be a deadly one. I would implore Bills to revisit their policies on allergies and extend training to all their staff as they very...