Bill’s Hamburgers in downtown Amory expects to reopen soon

AMORY, Miss. (WCBI) – The tornado that touched down in Amory in late March damaged several businesses, including one of the city’s best-known restaurants.

Bill’s Hamburgers has been around since the 1920s, but for the past two months the doors have been closed and the grill, cold.

Things are expected to get fired back up this weekend.

It may be empty now, but by this weekend Bill’s Hamburgers is expected to be packed for its reopening.

Former manager, Will Pate will become the sixth owner of the local hot spot.

While the ownership may be shifting, Pate said they’re staying true to tradition.

“We’re still going to be Bill’s Hamburgers. We are not changing the name, not changing the recipes; we are not changing anything. You may see some menu items come off may see some things added but as far as things go, we are still going to be Bill’s Hamburgers. We have been here since 1929 so if it’s not broken don’t fix it,” said Pate.

The food may be staying the same, but the building will be getting a facelift.

“Over the next few months, you will see the exterior of the building really gonna get jazzed up. We’re gonna have some new innings and signs. Just lots of new stuff. We are going to really improve the look of the Amory main street,” said Pate.

There will also be some fresh faces serving up those fresh burgers. Pate is training a new crew for the reopening.

“We really do pride ourselves in being a big family down here at Bill’s but as far as staff goes we are going to have a whole new staff coming in and we are really going to lean on our senior staff to help train those folks but we do have a standard here for at Bill’s and imparting that on the new crew that comes in,” said Pate.

Reid Wilkerson, the fifth owner of Bill’s Hamburgers, learned a few lessons during his time at Bill’s, and he’s passing them along as he passes the torch to Pate.

“I think I learned relationships are as important as anything in the business so I think relationships and taking care of your customers, giving them a listening ear is as important as serving a good burger,” said Wilkerson.

Bill’s is expected to open its doors on Saturday, June 3.

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