Bill's Drive-In is Back in Business

A Bill's Drive-In employee placed a sign saying "Now Open" in front of the sign off Monroe Turnpike and within less than an hour, the restaurant's parking lot filled up with cars, pick up trucks and SUVs.

The eatery had been closed down by the Trumbull-Monroe Health District since last Thursday, after heavy rains caused the septic system's leeching fields to overflow onto the parking lot.

Though, a special exception permit had allowed Bill's to be open Saturday night, so it could host a 9/11 Memorial Car Show — it was immediately shutdown again.

An agreement was struck with the health district Tuesday and signed at approximately 4:45 p.m., allowing Bill's to open its doors again.

"We're back on line and people can expect us to provide the same service and the same quality of food we always have," said Chris Yiannoulis, who owns Bill's Drive-In with his brother Lazo.

"It was rough," he said of being closed for a few days. "It's always rough, because this is our livelihood and the people who work for us, they have families to feed. And the customers from Monroe and other towns ..."

Just before Bill's was able to reopen, Yiannoulis said he heard a customer talking to his brother, saying, "Oh no! You're not open!"

"This was a destination place for people," he said.

Geomatrix has been hired to install a new leeching field. In the meantime, Frank Lieto, Yiannoulis' attorney, said the restaurant will not use its existing leeching field, instead it will pump out its septic system on a daily basis, until the new system is ready.

Yiannoulis said Bill's Drive-In had the same problem with its leeching field overflowing last winter, after snow had melted and water flowed onto his property. It had to be shutdown then too.

The heath district is allowing Bill's to operate with a deadline in place, giving the business a month to install the upgraded system.

"We were able to work with the health district to create a mutually acceptable solution, so the restaurant can be open," Lieto said. "It is a staple in town. People come here on a daily basis and I'm personally happy that they worked with us."

Lieto said his clients, Chris and Lazo Yiannoulis, have shown good faith by already hiring someone to replace the leeching fields and by taking steps toward complying with the solution before the agreement with the health district was reached.

Lieto wanted to make it clear that the septic issue was confined to the parking lot "for a very short period of time and never affected the food establishment" inside the building.

Chris Yiannoulis said, "While we were closed we cleaned up. And we painted," he added, motioning toward a door in the back of the restaurant with a sign that read: Wet Paint. Stay Away. "Lazo painted this door green," Yiannoulis said with a laugh.