Celebrating 40 years of Miss Millie’s

Miss Millie’s is a Bristol institution that is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

You can find their chicken shops nestled in many of the city’s neighbourhoods: Brislington, Bishopston, Bedminster, Redfield, Clifton, Knowle and Staple Hill, as well as one branch in Weston-super-Mare and two in Cardiff.

All with the same bright red sign and golden writing; a shining beacon for the hungry.

Though still a relatively humble operation, the business has big roots. Harry Latham, who set up Miss Millie’s, was the co-founder of KFC in the UK. He and his partner Ray Allen rubbed shoulders with the real life Colonel Sanders, (you know, the white haired bespectacled man on every KFC bucket) bringing Kentucky fried chicken across the Atlantic. 

After Harry left KFC, Miss Millie’s was born. The KFC family provided help and that ever so secret spice mix, and in return, the business was named after the Colonel’s daughter, Mildred. 

Harry is now retired, and the business is run by his three daughters, Kerry, Kate and Ann. 

“It’s almost as if we’ve got chicken running through our veins,” laughs marketing director Kate Ostrowski. She remembers growing up surrounded by talk of the business, doing Saturday shifts at the takeaway shops as a teen. 

For anyone that has ever argued over directions with their family on a long drive, it’s easy to imagine working alongside them every day could be pretty stressful. Though Ann Walker, managing director and eldest sister, acknowledges that it isn’t always easy, she says their relationships are stronger for working together.

“We manage to be both sisters and work colleagues, we’re thrilled with that aspect of our work.” 

The family emphasis doesn’t stop there. A number of branches are now second generation, with children taking over running shops from their parents. The sisters think this is key to what makes Miss Millie’s special. Employees tend to stay a long time, with 10 per cent of their 150 staff members working for more than 25 years.  

They make an attempt to hire locally, saying that their ethos is about being a part of a community. When Harry opened each shop, he deliberately made sure it was positioned on the left side of busy commuter high streets heading away from the city centre – so all traffic going home could have a chicken shop to drop in on after work. 

The community emphasis runs into their charity donations. Over the 40 years they have been in business, they have raised £70,000 for local charities. They host ‘Good Neighbour’ nights, where shop owners pick charities nearby to benefit, they support Young Carers in North Somerset and provide 100 meals to Julian House every Christmas.  

As far as the future goes, the sisters remain keen to expand. Ann says they get regular emails asking why they do not have shops in Yate or Clevedon, for example. They want to invite new people in to set up stores, and have around 15 locations they are sure Miss Millie’s could succeed in.  

Key to any expansion is keeping the standards they hold close to their hearts. Ann and Kate are clear about what’s important to them: “We’re proud of our heritage, we’re proud of our spice, and we’re proud of our people.”

Here’s to another 40 years of fried chicken.

Read more: Your Bristol favourites: Family-friendly eateries