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THE STORY BEHIND BDW'S
Our friendship started back in 2004 when we both met on the first day at Weston college, where we trained in catering. After a few years of working together on and off, we said if the opportunity came up where we could open our own place one day, we would jump at it. So, here we are, with BDW’s Bar & Grill, soon to be in its fourth year of trading!
You may ask "why BDW’s?" - These are the initials of Dill’s best friend Ben, who is no longer here, they were best friends from a young age and couldn’t be separated. We want Ben’s memory and name to live on, so Dill asked Ben’s mum if she would mind us using his name and she was delighted to be asked, giving us her blessing.
RICH'S STORY
During college, I joined Young’s & Co. Brewery in 2005 and continued working for them in many of their pubs, mainly around the South West, including Burnham-On-Sea, Devon, Bristol, Dorset and Oxford, before settling down at the Lock Keeper in Keynsham for 6 years. During the situation with Covid, the opportunity came along for me to take on a restaurant in Wells, so I contacted Dill and asked if he wanted to go in with me in order to make our dream become a reality... To which he said yes! After long discussions and lots of thinking, I made the decision to call it a day at the Lock Keeper. So, BDW's was the next chapter, and it's been going amazingly ever since.
DILL'S STORY
Having worked in different restaurants after college, it was in 2009 that myself and Rich first worked together in Bristol. After a couple of years, I was given my first Sous Chef’s job at The Sheppey in Godney, where I stayed for a few years, until Rich was appointed General Manager of his own pub and was looking for a Head Chef. My name was the first one to pop into his head, and I'm glad that it did! We turned the pub around, became known for our excellent food, making a name for ourselves and the pub. Rich then moved on to another pub within Young’s after a couple of years, and a year later, I was offered the Head Chef's job at The Wookey Hole Inn, back in my hometown of Wells. After that, I went on to work at the BocaBar in Glastonbury, until I was offered a job at the Bishop’s Palace, where I spent 4 years. My love for smoked meats and barbecue food has always been something I’ve wanted to explore and learn new skills around, so when a vacancy at Bare Grills in Taunton came up, it was the perfect place to learn. After having the conversation with Rich during Covid about the opportunity to open our own place and put these skills and knowledge to the test, I couldn’t say no!
We would both like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of our families, friends and customers for the continual love and support. We couldn’t do it without you!
Best wishes, Rich & Dill x