We are no different.
Many artists or those identifying in creative fields have always tied sociological or anthropological perspectives to their body of work. We’re no different. We realize that people have been gathering to eat our entire existence so it seemed obvious that with our vision for Bird, there was huge opportunity to bring all walks together.
“I think food is one of the last analog things, because you have to travel. You have to go to the restaurant. You can't do this on the Internet. The information is not enough. I think that is most tempting thing...” - Hiroshi Fujiwara
Our plans had a slow and steady heartbeat for several years but when Covid came along, it gave us an opportunity to center ourselves around something good with little distraction and build off of that virtue. It lead us to be louder about needing more good things in the world, steering away from excessiveness, consumerism, and capitalism. It allowed us to lean into our rebellious nature in most (if not all) of what we do. We desired more care and kindness from others, revealing much of the nuanced aggression that we all experience daily. And, in that year, we birthed BIRD.
If you found us early on, you know, we began as a pop up, collaborating with businesses around Charlotte. By the time we opened our physical location, it was still just us two, pregnant, and our 2 and 5 year old boys keeping us company most days. It was really tough but there was something special back then. Nothing felt overlooked and little needed to be communicated because we wanted to do the best we possibly could to give it a fair shot. We’ve since grown enough to celebrate a few things but also reconcile some others. Most of 2022 was about nothing more than creating something sustainable and making the best food we could possibly make, underestimating how long getting it right actually takes.
Through this process, Bird has become our case study - An examination of what happens when you infuse a career with faith, care, love, and devotion.
Is it perfect? Of course not. But it’s right.
We began our way, without taking on the invisible pressures that many food establishments place on themselves. Our menu is refined to allow for less waste, simple prep, easy comprehension on both customer and kitchen sides. When the food is good, you don’t need so many options. Preorders always seemed to make sense to have an idea of the work effort needed for the day and it stuck. We continue to rely heavily on technology for ordering to minimize the need for staff multitasking and promote repeat customers. And hey, we outsmarted the infamous google search and opened a restaurant without a ton of debt.
Much of our ideology about how to run Bird came from our capacity at that time. Like, why close at 8? So we can put our kids to bed. But inevitably it worked really well for the business too. From early on, we maximized our output per day within a small 4-hour window.
As we grow, there are critical opportunities in culture, operations, community, and environment we need to address.
“Make the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental [and, in our opinion, social] crisis.” Yvon Chouinard
LLCs have been constructed to limit the responsibility (liability) Ownership has on the damage the business causes. Someone should be held responsible for the mess. Knowingly, you cannot continue to contribute to the harm we all do to one another and this planet. Obviously, we must be good stewards.
So in this next year, more than anything else, we’ve discussed how to do the most with what we’ve been given.
Before concerning ourselves with expansion, additional locations, etc, we will master that formula. We’ve got to get it right first. Like improving customer experience, or optimizing space and output in our tiny kitchen, or an excellent work environment for our staff, or how to create more efficient systems that align with environmental concerns. During that process, we’re committed to sharing more of what we learn, battle, and rebel against (which we define as just doing the right thing) because, if anything, there’s more than one way to get where your going consisting of all the love, peace, joy, devotion you desire.