Starbird Chicken

What Starbird Chicken does

Starbird Chicken, operating as Chicken Coup, LLC, is a super-premium fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 2016 by chef Aaron Noveshen in the San Francisco Bay Area. The company sells antibiotic-free, never-frozen, hand-breaded chicken tenders, sandwiches, salads, and sides under a proprietary gluten-free spice blend, complemented by a registered plant-based line (Gardenbird®) and a wings sub-brand. As of 2026 it operates approximately 19 locations across California and Colorado, including non-traditional placements at SFO International Airport Terminal 1B, Levi's Stadium, and UC Berkeley's California Memorial Stadium.

The technology stack is a conventional restaurant digital ecosystem rather than an AI platform: Olo-powered online ordering, mobile app, in-store self-service kiosks, Punchh-operated Starbird Rewards loyalty program with card-linked points, and third-party delivery partnerships with DoorDash, Caviar, Uber Eats, and Allset. Starbird also operates a SOMA cloud kitchen inside the SOMA Eats Facility and a community dine-and-donate fundraising program that has hosted 250+ events across 16 participating locations.

Revenue is generated through retail food sales at company-owned and franchise restaurants, franchise fees and royalties on development agreements (Mac Haik for 36 Texas stores, Mehta Investment Group for 17 Washington stores, Whiplash Holdings for 7 Denver stores, plus 10 Salt Lake City/Chicago stores), catering services, and gift card sales. The company has raised approximately $21M in cumulative disclosed funding (2016, 2020, 2021) and is executing a multi-state franchising expansion targeting 200+ locations under new CEO Greg Levin and CFO Stefanie Lee.

Name

Starbird Chicken

Legal name

Chicken Coup, LLC

Website

https://starbirdchicken.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Starbird Chicken is a super-premium fast-casual chain founded in 2016 selling antibiotic-free, hand-breaded chicken via ~19 corporate and franchise locations in California and Colorado, with multi-state franchise agreements underway.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Food Sales: Revenue from company-owned and franchise restaurant locations selling chicken tenders, sandwiches, salads, and sides through dine-in, takeout, and delivery channels.
2. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Franchise development agreements generate upfront fees and ongoing royalty payments. Deals include Mac Haik (36 Texas stores), Mehta Investment Group (17 Washington stores), Whiplash Holdings (7 Denver stores).
3. Catering Services: Catering platters for pickup or delivery, with dine-and-donate fundraisers generating 20% proceeds for partner organizations.
4. Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards including $50 e-gift cards for customer gifting occasions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Starbird Chicken operates a super-premium fast-casual restaurant chain selling antibiotic-free, never-frozen, hand-breaded crispy chicken tenders, sandwiches, salads, and sides using a proprietary gluten-free spice blend. The company serves customers through company-owned and franchise locations in California, Colorado, Texas, Washington, and other growth markets, complemented by digital ordering (mobile app, online platform, in-store kiosks) and third-party delivery partnerships.

Product overview

Starbird Chicken operates as a super-premium fast-casual restaurant chain with a unified core offering of antibiotic-free, hand-breaded crispy chicken. The product portfolio centers on the main Starbird Chicken brand complemented by Gardenbird® (plant-based line), Starbird Wings (wing-specific offerings), and supporting services including a mobile app for digital ordering, the Starbird Rewards loyalty program, catering services, and in-store kiosks. The company utilizes third-party delivery platforms (DoorDash, Caviar, Uber Eats) and ordering systems (Olo) alongside its proprietary digital ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gardenbird®: Crispy plant based protein sandwich featuring sliced tomato, classic slaw, dill pickles, and Star Sauce. Also available as Gardenbird® Tenders (vegetarian crispy tenders).

Products and services

• Starbird Chicken Core super-premium fast-casual restaurant offering antibiotic-free, never-frozen, hand-breaded crispy chicken tenders, sandwiches, salads, and sides using a proprietary gluten-free spice blend. Served through company-owned and franchise dine-in, pickup, and delivery channels for individual consumers.
• Gardenbird® Plant-based crispy protein product line from Starbird available as a sandwich (with sliced tomato, classic slaw, dill pickles, and Star Sauce) and as Gardenbird® Tenders (vegetarian crispy tenders). Targeted at flexitarian diners seeking plant-based options within the Starbird menu.
• Starbird Wings Dedicated wing-focused product line and website (starbirdwings.com) featuring bone-in and boneless wing options with various flavor profiles, offered as a focused extension of the core Starbird menu.
• Catering Services Catering platter offerings for pickup or delivery, featuring Starbird's signature chicken dishes and sides for events, gatherings, corporate functions, and community organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Salads have become the top-selling category, surpassing traditional fried items like wings and tenders

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DoorDashminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partner for Starbird restaurant delivery services. Orders placed through DoorDash are subject to DoorDash terms and conditions.
• CaviarminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partner for restaurant delivery services in available markets.
• SOMA Eats FacilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCloud kitchen partnership in San Francisco. Starbird operates SF Cloud Kitchen location inside SOMA Eats Facility at 60 Morris Street.
• Punchh (Loyalty Provider)coreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party loyalty program provider powering Starbird Rewards. Manages points system, rewards redemption, and customer engagement. Starbird's loyalty program is owned and operated on their behalf by Punchh.
• BabbleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanguage learning system partnership providing free online Babble memberships for all Starbird employees as part of employee enrichment programs.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Raising Cane's: Chicken tender-focused QSR chain with a similarly streamlined menu centered on a single protein. Highly relevant direct peer given overlap in product category (premium chicken tenders), target customer (urban fast-casual diners), and growth model (multi-state expansion).
• Dave's Hot Chicken: Premium chicken tender/sandwich fast-casual chain with a similar super-premium positioning and aggressive franchise expansion strategy. Closest comparable in terms of brand positioning, menu focus, and franchise-led growth playbook; reached ~$1B private valuation during its scale-up phase.
• Slim Chickens: Chicken tenders and sandwiches fast-casual chain with comparable menu mix, premium positioning, and franchise-led national expansion. Comparable in unit economics profile and target demographic of younger, chicken-focused diners.
• PDQ: Premium chicken-focused fast-casual concept (chicken tenders, sandwiches, salads) with a similar 'better chicken' positioning targeting health-conscious consumers. Comparable in menu philosophy and mid-tier regional chain growth profile.
• Wingstop: Chicken-focused QSR (wings) with a tech-forward digital ordering platform and aggressive franchise-led national expansion. Comparable in single-protein focus, digital ecosystem maturity, and franchise growth playbook.
• Chicken Salad Chick: Chicken-focused fast-casual chain with a similar chef-driven origin story, premium positioning, and franchise-led Southern/Mid-Atlantic expansion. Comparable in concept maturity and growth trajectory as a regional chicken specialist.

Broad incumbents

• Chick-fil-A: Dominant U.S. chicken QSR with ~3,000 locations, serving as the benchmark competitor for any premium chicken concept. Comparable in core product category but vastly larger, privately held, and primarily company-operated rather than franchised at scale.
• Bojangles: Chicken-focused QSR chain with broader menu including biscuits and Southern sides. Comparable in chicken-centric menu and regional franchise model, though with a more value-positioned offering versus Starbird's super-premium focus.
• Shake Shack: Premium fast-casual chain with a comparable 'better-than-QSR' positioning, technology-forward digital ordering, and mobile-app-driven loyalty program. Comparable in tech-enabled customer experience strategy and premium urban brand positioning rather than core menu category.
• Cava Group: Premium fast-casual Mediterranean chain with a similar digitally enabled ordering ecosystem, salad-forward menu (matching Starbird's top-selling category), and tech-forward franchise model. Comparable in premium positioning and digital innovation approach within fast-casual.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Starbird-Chicken-980977821943334
• Instagraminstagram.com/starbirdchicken
• TikToktiktok.com/@starbirdchicken
• Xx.com/starbirdchicken

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Starbird Chicken