Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Dillon.
Hi Bill, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Having been raised in Norfolk and then moving to Va. Beach at 21, I moved for a year to South Florida for at age 23. While there, I bussed tables for six months before moving back to Va. Beach. Having no server experience I got a job at a restaurant that would train me to be a waiter. Two years later I was motivated to open my own restaurant. I got two of my buddies, also waiters, to come with me. So at that time I had only worked in the restaurant industry for 2 and a half years.
I found a restaurant for sale with owner financing. It had recently closed and had gone through 3 owners in 2 and a half years. I raised most of the money for the down payment and inventory purchase. My grandparents loaned me $15,000 of the $35,000 I would raise. One partner’s father loaned him/us $7,000.
We opened Dec, 17, 1982, with a full inventory of beer, wine, liquor and food and with only $40 in the bank! No savings, no capital, and no line of credit. January’s rent came from a private party held the end of December. We lived hand to mouth every month. Needless to say it was extremely stressful!
Knowing, after 10 months, that it would not work out, I was able to buy my partners out (six weeks pay at $200 per week, so $1200 each) after my father got a $10,000 loan to pay the note that was due to the owner. One partner said he was glad to be getting off this sinking ship. They both immediately declared bankruptcy and left me with over $100,000.00 in personal debt. Bankruptcy was not an option for me.
I struggled for 10 years and went into a lot more debt before I felt like I had finally reached a point where I’d be able to stay in business. I spent the next 10 years paying off the debt I had accumulated, including the original owner financing.
In 1998 the owner sold the building and parking lot to me and my wife. Again, owner financing until we were able a few years later to pay him off with a real bank mortgage.
When we purchased the building we were able to expand from 115 seats to 240. And in 2025 we opened Lucy’s Sky Bar on top of Abbey Road, adding another 152 seats both inside and outside. Here’s the story behind Lucy’s Sky Bar. In the late 90’s I began thinking of opening a rooftop bar on top of Abbey Road. At that time it was a daunting task, with obstacles I didn’t think I could overcome, and money I didn’t have! But, 20 plus years later I finally decided in 2022 to ‘pull the trigger’. It took three years, from concept to completion, to open the newest Sky Bar in Va. Beach. And what better name to call a sky bar on top of a Beatles’ themed restaurant than Lucy’s, named after the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?”
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The first 10 years were a big struggle, going into a lot of debt. But in the tenth year I decided I wanted to focus on being a restaurant instead of a just a bar or night club and that made a huge difference in turning the corner.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are known for our fresh seafood, hand cut steaks, homemade soups and desserts, and our extensive gluten free menu. Two thirds of our menu is either gluten free or can be prepared gluten free. We cook with only 100% olive oil and butter and use no seed oils. We use beef tallow in our fryers.
I’ve always thought I had a knack for running a business and I know how to make a budget and pay bills. My early years in the restaurant business taught me how to manage money and get very creative of how to stretch the dollars I had.
An accomplishment I thought I’d never achieve is that Abbey Road is rated, and has been, by Trip Advisor as one of the best restaurants in Va. Beach. 10 years ago we were rated #86 out of 1320 restaurants, or 6.5%. Today we are rated at 46 out of 1321 restaurants, or 3.5%! I’m very proud of that! Our Google rating has been a very consistent 4.2!
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I would joke with my friends, and still do, that if you were ever stranded on a deserted island you would want me with you. I’ll find the water, build the shelter, and find the food. I’m convinced that the reason I survived is that I just never give up! And I’m still having fun running Abbey Road & Lucy’s. What a ride it’s been!
Contact Info:
- Website: abbeyroadpub.com. lucysskybar.com
- Instagram: Abbey Road Pub & Restaurant and Lucy’s Sky Bar
- Facebook: Abbey Road Pub & Restaurant and Lucy’s Sky Bar
