From Collecting Glasses to Managing Director: How Tom James Turned Bill’s Around

What does it take to turn round a much-loved restaurant brand and return it to growth? In this episode of Brave Bold Brilliant, Jeannette Linfoot talks with Tom James, Managing Director of Bill’s Restaurants, about leadership, culture and the brave decisions behind one of UK casual dining’s biggest comeback stories. ABOUT THE EPISODE Tom’s first job in hospitality was collecting glasses at his local pub. More than 30 years later, he leads Bill’s, the all-day casual dining brand. Under his leadership Bill’s has delivered record sales, doubled EBITDA between 2022 and 2024 and grown to 50 sites, including the first Bill’s at any airport in the world, at Heathrow Terminal 2. The turnaround meant hard choices. After the pandemic, Bill’s closed underperforming sites so it could rebuild on stronger foundations. It now grows by choosing quality sites rather than chasing a target number. Tom and Jeannette talk about what it takes to lead through change and bring a team with you. In this episode we explore: ✅ Tom’s career, from glass collector to senior roles at Revolution, Jamie’s Italian, Coppa Club and Harbour Hotels, and then Managing Director of Bill’s ✅ Leading a turnaround: making difficult restructuring decisions and rebuilding on strong foundations ✅ Why “quality over quantity” beats chasing site numbers when you scale ✅ Simplifying a complex plan into one clear message: “everyone leaves happy” ✅ How a culture of consistent recognition helped transform staff retention ✅ Using technology and AI wisely: piloting first, listening to guests and putting people before products ✅ Moving from a specialist role to leading the whole business✅ Giving back through mentoring and helping more women into board roles Whether you’re running a team, leading a turnaround or working towards your first board role, this conversation is packed with honest, practical lessons about leading with courage. ABOUT THE GUEST: TOM JAMES Tom James is Managing Director of Bill’s, the much-loved all-day casual dining brand. He has worked in hospitality for more than 30 years, starting as a glass collector at his local pub. He went on to be a senior manager at Henry J Bean’s and Revolution, as well as at two independent restaurants in Jersey and Bristol. Over the past 15 years, Tom has held senior director roles at Jamie’s Italian, Coppa Club and Harbour Hotels. He joined Bill’s in October 2021 as Group Operations Director and became Managing Director in 2022. With his management team, he has led Bill’s to record sales, doubled EBITDA between 2022 and 2024, and returned the business to expansion, growing the estate to 50 sites with the Heathrow Terminal 2 opening in summer 2026. Tom is passionate about people and innovation. He chairs the Innovation Working Group for the Hospitality Sector Council, where he leads initiatives that help the wider industry benefit from technology and innovation. He is also a mentor for Boardwalk, a charity that helps more women into board roles. 🔗 CONNECT WITH TOMLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-james-5388b256/Bill’s on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bill's-restaurants/Bill’s website: https://bills-website.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST: JEANNETTE LINFOOT Jeannette Linfoot is a senior executive, property investor, board advisor and business mentor. She has more than 30 years of global experience in travel, leisure, hospitality and property, and has bought, run and sold businesses around the world. She now owns her own portfolio of businesses and advises leaders on strategy and personal development. Jeannette is known as a down-to-earth leader and a champion of diversity and inclusion, and she is passionate about helping people reach their full potential. ABOUT BRAVE BOLD BRILLIANT Brave Bold Brilliant is the podcast for leaders who want to grow their businesses, their teams and themselves without losing who they are along the way. Jeannette talks with inspiring guests about how being brave, bold and brilliant has helped them reach their potential in business, their careers and life. The conversations range from international boardrooms to startup kitchen tables. 🔔 Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, comment and share it with someone in hospitality or leadership who would find it valuable. 🔗 CONNECT WITH JEANNETTELinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfootInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeannette.linfoot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeannette.linfoot/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brave.bold.brilliantYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@braveboldbrilliantAll links: https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot 🌐 Brave Bold Brilliant: https://brave-bold-brilliant.com/🌐 Jeannette Linfoot Associates: https://www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com/🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brave-bold-brilliant-podcast/id1524278970 #Hospitality #Leadership #BraveBoldBrilliant #BusinessTurnaround #UKBusiness