15 minute read
Growing the bird
A special supplement to:
Zeden Jones Construction Manager, Starbird
Growing the bird
Interview by Michael J. Pallerino
Arizona. Florida. Colorado. Illinois. Nevada. Oregon. Texas. Utah. Washington.
The Starbird star is getting brighter. Thanks to a recently enacted franchising program, the Starbird brand—featuring hand-crafted, feel-good crispy chicken, bold flavors and chef-driven innovation—is gearing up to make its presence felt. Started by Aaron Noveshen and premier food and beverage innovation agency The Culinary Edge (TCE), Starbird plans to double its unit count over the next 18 months, with its first franchised stores slated to open in the second quarter of 2023. In 2016, Noveshen and TCE saw a growing niche with the rise of chicken consumption. Fashioned with a flair for culinary innovation, a frictionless service model and operational excellence, Starbird set out to change the future of fast food in the chicken game. And there’s more: Starbird also offers a suite of virtual brands under the Starbird banner, including Starbird Wings, Starbird Salads, Starbird Bowls and its vegetarian plant-based concept, Gardenbird. Commercial Kitchens sat down with Construction Manager Zeden Jones to get an up close look at where the Starbird brand is heading in 2023.
Give us a snapshot of your brand?
Starbird, one of the nation’s first super-premium fast food concepts, was founded in 2016 by Aaron Noveshen and The Culinary Edge (TCE), a premier innovation agency in food and beverage in the restaurant industry. The brand currently operates 12 units throughout California, as well as multiple virtual brands in the region under the Starbird name, including Starbird Wings, Starbird Salads, Starbird Bowls, and the brand’s vegetarian plant-based concept, Gardenbird.
While Starbird is considered a small, emerging chain due to its total number of units, the brand is outperforming some of the largest QSR brands. Stemming from Aaron Noveshen’s commitment to driving change and innovation within the foodservice industry, Starbird has reported $3.6 million in average unit volume (AUV) year-over-year. Most recently, it announced the launch of its national franchise program to expand the brand in select markets, after closing a $12 million capital raise led by KarpReilly. As part of this new growth phase, Starbird entered Southern California for the first time with two new openings in the Greater Los Angeles Area in Q1 and additional LA and Bay Area locations planned to open throughout 2022 and 2023. In addition, the company plans to double its unit count over the next 18 months, with its first franchised stores aimed at opening in Q2 2023.
What was the inspiration behind that concept?
Starbird was inspired by the need for better fast-food in the marketplace. Long before we opened our doors, we were obsessed with perfecting our recipe for crispy chicken. We believed that fried chicken hadn’t reached its true potential—too often being heavy, greasy and featuring the same old flavors—and so a group of like-minded chefs, restaurant gurus and chicken-lovers set out to re-create crispy chicken. Our goal was to create something fresh and delicious that people could feel good about eating. We tested hundreds of recipes, searching high and low for the secret sauce that would make our bird shine. We began with quality, trustworthy ingredients and real scratch cooking, taking antibiotic-free chicken raised in our Bay Area backyard and hand-breading it in our secret blend of gluten-free flour and spices.
What type of consumer are you targeting?
We target a broad range of consumers in different markets throughout the Bay Area and Los Angeles. What is great about our concept is there are many different use cases for dining at Starbird. Our lunch and dinner dayparts are split 50/50 as we provide the convenience for the lunch eater but also the comfort and elevated experience for the dinner eater. Not to mention, we offer quick yet great weekday lunches like our delicious salads with house-made dressings and crispy chicken tacos with fresh veggies and house-made sauces. We also offer great dinners for individuals and families like our broad sandwich selection, tender boxes and kids meals. Overall, we are targeting consumers looking for an elevated super-premium fast food experience with the ability to eat healthy or indulge in our decadent items based on their preference.
What are some of the adjustments you made with/to your business model surrounding the recent state of events?
Starbird is dedicated to expanding its guest experience in the QSR space by providing an elevated experience at our various locations. With our ever increasing sales, especially as we depart from the pandemic, our guests
are pinned against longer lines and longer wait times for their orders. Manager of Technology Operations Josh Malander is the architect responsible for Starbird’s technology implementation. Over the past three years, he has collaborated with the Starbird team to improve its omni-channel customer experience model. Centered around Starbird’s branded house, the omni-channel strategy offers a seamlessly integrated experience by offering pickup and delivery through a direct OLO integration, forgoing the need for tablets in the restaurant. In addition, Starbird’s native mobile app allows for direct pickup, delivery and catering while earning rewards points for every order. The integrated mobile app has improved the brand’s loyalty program and created brand consistency and order flow. To improve pickup convenience, Josh added Order Ready status monitors, which alert customers when an order is completed via text message. The text message provides customers with clear pickup instructions and an order code that matches the location’s order screen. Additionally, Josh improved order accuracy and reduced ticket times by revamping the kitchen video system, as well as adding scripting to in-store POS systems to direct cashiers when handling orders. To add to the elevated experience, guests are rewarded for using the kiosks with various “hidden” items from our multi-conceptual brand offerings that may not be completely available from ordering through a cashier. Our kiosks are surrounded by branded signage letting our guests know to “skip the line” and “order here.” These incentives drive speed of service, provide quicker ordering and suggest reward incentives to join our loyalty program by providing exciting offers. In an effort to drive automated sales and efficiently leverage labor, Josh installed and configured kiosks at various Starbird locations that capture demographical data through facial recognition only (with guest consent). With this data, Josh and the Starbird team compile analytics for marketing and menu curation. The data allows for guests to be nearly hands-free for the first part of the order. It retrieves previous orders and data based on face shape, allowing the brand to learn about items ordered and check averages by demographic. This consumer data is then used to develop LTO (limited time only) offerings and expand items to the ever-growing virtual space. We launched kiosks in our restaurants for three key reasons. First, our kiosks are designed to be an informative gateway to our other digital platforms like app and web ordering ahead. Secondly, our kiosks are designed and placed in a way for our guests to commit to ordering; when an impatient one would otherwise turn away. Lastly, with COVID safety conditions at play, we are dedicated to distancing placement and sanitary needs with sani-stations placed next to each kiosk. To decrease employee downtime, Josh implemented a more efficient payment processor, installed 4G/LTE internet backup systems at all locations, and integrated a biometric face detection clock device to allow accurate compliance to California labor laws. Josh also introduced user-authentication innovations into all other third-party systems and integrated the clocking, POS and reporting systems to expand access to reporting data and labor forecasting. Our end goal is to drive sales, improve the customer experience, reduce labor and capture demographic data to be used for our marketing and real estate strategies.
What kind of conversations are you having with your customers?
We are constantly in communication with our consumers through daily feedback, quarterly product surveys, and more. We never stop listening to our guests and are constantly making changes to our recipes, packaging, and store design. We ultimately want to provide our guests with unmatched convenience and super-premium food. We also listen to our guests when it comes to product development, and survey different menu concepts each quarter to understand what our guests want to see on the menu.
How does the design of the restaurant cater to what today’s consumers are looking for?
At Starbird, we’re all about positivity; this starts with a positive guest experience and we’re able to achieve that the moment the guest steps in our restaurants, as our designs are focused on convenience and comfort. We customize each guest touchpoint to ensure a positive experience, from the exterior signage, to the lighting, to the pickup experience.
Is there a location that really shows how the brand interacts with the community and customers? One of your favorites?
Our location in Hermosa Beach, which is the most recent unit to open, really
shows how the brand interacts with the community and customers. I had a connection to the premises, as I remodeled it over 20 years ago from a Yoshinaya to a Togo’s concept. It was interesting to see how the finishes and amenities withstood the test of time. Though that original project focused primarily on interiors, Starbird develops its brand presence from the inside out. For example, marketing is actively involved with curated product placement and technology integration, including exterior signage and banners, while our architect Zero10 is keen on materials and presentation in all settings. Such continuous effort helps us to develop a curb appeal that is fresh and inviting while educating our potential customers on what Starbird is as we redefine fast food. Most recently, I had several local residents drop by to monitor our progress and reminisce on its tradition, which really brings the project full-circle.
Walk us through how and why it was designed the way it is? Take us through your construction and design strategy.
Our architect, Zero10 led by John Rojas, leads us through conceptual and schematic design all the way through to construction documents. John is very familiar with our CEO, Aaron Noveshen, and knows his attention to operations and aesthetics. Aaron is a true brand builder and an accomplished chef, so much so that the opportunity to work with him was my impetus to join Starbird. Starbird has signature elements, such as our brand color and pickets, which are consistently implemented from the roofline outside to our soffits inside and so forth. The central element is our Chef Island, which is the feature of our open kitchen concept.
Give us a rundown of the market’s layout.
Prior to any substantive restaurant development whether company or franchise, we work with internal and external partners to identify and rank trade areas for development based on our consumer profile and using mapping software. Then, working with our local broker and the Starbird development team, we review potential sites using very specific criteria— traffic, visibility, access, economics—which contribute to a restaurant’s success. Specifically in the LA metro area, we have used this approach to site selection and are utilizing Beta to assist us with an initial emphasis on the South Bay and expanding from the core over the next 18 months.
What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business?
Costs. COVID took its toll on material availability, equipment manufacturing and labor demand for the workforce returning to build. All these factors and more contribute to rising investment and so it is critical to be keen on the purpose of each feature and its integration to assure value added.
Talk about sustainability. What are you doing?
Being a California brand, our Green Building Code lends itself to sustainability in energy usage and lighting along with efficient fixtures. As an operator, our Condiment Counter integrates Trash, Recycle and Compost. We even select a Fryer that filters our cooking oil. Again, being keen to details proves to be resourceful and environmentally-friendly. Are you optimistic about how the marketplace has responded to everything happening today?
Despite a host of challenges, we remain optimistic about the future because we know how to stay agile and shift our strategies as the marketplace continues to change. Customers are continuing to dine out and we’ve noticed a huge rise in mobile ordering, which is one of our strengths. As long as we continue to stay ahead of the curve and evolve our processes, we will remain optimistic.
What is your growth plan?
We are planning to grow both corporate locations and franchise locations in the coming years. Our plan is to double in size in the next 18 months, with growth in LA, the Bay Area, and out of state franchise locations with the launch of our national franchise program. Starbird franchise opportunities are available in states across the US, including Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Illinois and Florida. While growth is important to us, we are selective about our real estate and franchise partners to ensure every Starbird is positioned in the perfect area to ensure we are able to make a lasting impact on the community we’re serving.
What trends are you seeing?
We are seeing a lot of different trends in the marketplace when it comes to convenience
and accessibility for restaurants. Four lane drive throughs, pickup windows, “express” units and other convenient-forward trends are taking over the fast food space. While accessibility and convenience are always top of mind for us, we’re still focused on creating the best possible experience for our guests while maintaining our high-quality level of food execution.
What is the secret to creating a “must visit” restaurant environment in today’s competitive landscape?
Within the competitive fast food landscape, it’s important to know your target audience and define your customer persona. In other words, find your niche and stick to it. Some restaurants don’t make it because they try too hard to appeal to the masses without taking the proper time to understand the community in which they reside. Some other factors that come into play are more obvious like ambiance, quality of food and drink, and of course, price—all of which are key differentiators amongst competitors of Starbird.
What’s today’s consumer looking for?
Value and convenience. We had value with a toothsome meal complemented with an assortment of sauces and vibrant flavors. Our convenience is augmented by our use of technology which eases multiple delivery
One-on-One with... Starbird’s Zeden Jones
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Friends & Family events are the most rewarding part of my job. These pre-opening festivities are a thrill, as we get to see our customers experience our restaurant for the first-time. That is the most unique aspect of our industry—we get the satisfaction of seeing what was drafted on paper become a reality.
What was the best advice you ever received?
My first real estate counterpart and peer, Marcelline Mahern, would always quip, “We are forever learning.” That motto referenced whenever we braved a miscue or overcame a challenge, which continues to ring true to this day. We were certain to always learn and become better at our trade for improved performance and edification.
What’s the best thing a client ever said to you?
Early in my career, a franchisee named Greg Woepse said, “Construction is a comedy of errors.” That mindset helped me to realize the need to roll with the punches of each project and to develop the ability to course correct promptly.
Name the three strongest traits any leader should have and why.
I admire servant leadership. I respect purpose, humility and trust. When you have a work environment which prioritizes people, it becomes your most valuable asset like it is at Starbird. methods and follow-up to ensure constant quality control.
What’s the biggest item on your to-do list right now?
The biggest item, or items, on our to-do list right now are to continue to grow our vendor list and resources as we ramp up our development.
Describe a typical day.
Besides a few Zoom meetings and a plethora of emails, I always visit a Starbird location. Whether under construction or to follow-up on a maintenance matter, I enjoy adding to the restaurant experience by making a location more presentable, comfortable or serviceable. So many aspects go into a welcoming environment, so the details are important.
Tell us what makes your brand so unique?
Starbird is fundamentally changing the future of QSR by delivering feel-good super premium fast food and a tech-driven, omni-channel customer experience. As Starbird leads the evolving fast food marketplace, we are paving the way for restaurants of the future. While channel strategies involve selling across multiple physical and digital platforms, the key difference of an omni-channel strategy is a seamlessly integrated experience between all channels offered. Starbird’s omni-channel approach is centered around its branded house, which includes Starbird and four additional virtual brands, Starbird Wings®, Starbird Salads®, Starbird Bowls® and Gardenbird™. Starbird operates its own websites and ordering channels for each brand, offering pickup or delivery through a direct OLO integration. OLO also allows for each brand to be featured on all third party delivery platforms (UberEATS, DoorDash, Postmates, Caviar & Grubhub), with direct POS integration forgoing the need of tablets in the restaurant. In addition to the virtual brands and third party ordering, Starbird’s native mobile app allows for direct pickup, delivery and catering while earning rewards points for every order. CCR
