Franchising

Starbird completes biggest funding round, plans openings

December 9, 2020

Starbird Chicken has completed its largest equity fundraising round of $4 million which will help it further expand in Northern California and into the Los Angeles area, according to a press release.

"This landmark financing reflects the industry's belief in our vision that we've had for Starbird since day one — that the fast food landscape was primed for an upgrade in quality and convenience in user experience through menu items designed with customers' evolving tastes in mind and a modern technology platform. We will honor our commitment to our stakeholders by continuing to innovate as the leader in super-premium fast food," Aaron Noveshen, Starbird Chicken CEO and founder said in the release.

Launched in June 2016 with one location in Sunnyvale, California, Starbird will have nine locations in the Bay Area by the first quarter 2021, having just opened a streetside location in Campbell and a cloud kitchen in Oakland. Its East Bay streetside location in Walnut Creek is soon to follow.

Starbird's cloud kitchen has seen order volume grow 100% during the pandemic, with sales per square foot of over $5,000 per year, according to the release. Streetside restaurants have seen positive comparable store sales of up to 50% in the last six months, with top-line sales of more than $1,300 per foot.