What Starr Design does

Starr Design, PLLC is a privately held, Charlotte, North Carolina-based architectural and design firm founded in 2007 by Steve Starr. The firm provides full-service restaurant design and consulting, spanning architecture, interior design, foodservice consulting, branding, environmental graphics, construction administration, and multi-unit rollout management, serving restaurant chain operators, restaurant-focused private equity and investor clients, and single-unit owners across the United States with concentration in the Southeast. The firm has documented work with nationally recognized brands including Zoës Kitchen (220+ locations), Firebirds Wood Fired Grill (22-year relationship, 50+ locations), KFC, Panera Bread, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Pandora, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, alongside selective retail and entertainment engagements.

The firm executes against a proprietary 'Proven Recipe' methodology encompassing brand discovery, strategy, design and implementation, and rollout scale phases, combined with a four-pillar Value Engineering framework evaluating brand, menu, operations, and development processes to balance capital efficiency against sales improvements. Core technical tooling centers on REVIT-based production documentation described as 'industry leading,' supported by a kit-of-parts and flexible-zone prototype system that enables consistent replication across multi-unit rollouts. The team is intentionally small and specialized (approximately 11 members), with dual AIA and FCSI credentials on the founder providing differentiated expertise at the intersection of architecture and foodservice operations.

The business operates as a project-based professional services firm, generating revenue through custom fee quotes tied to project scope, complexity, and concept requirements. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales through direct engagement with chain operators and restaurant investors, supplemented by content marketing (industry blog, case studies, digital playbooks) and thought leadership in foodservice trade publications. The firm is founder-owned and operated, has not raised external capital, and serves as a long-tenured design partner to a small number of high-profile multi-unit restaurant concepts.

Name

Starr Design

Legal name

Starr Design, PLLC

Website

https://starrdesignteam.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Starr Design is a Charlotte-based architectural and design firm that provides full-service restaurant design, foodservice consulting, branding, and multi-unit rollout management to restaurant chain operators and investors across the United States, led by founder Steve Starr.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Architectural & Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Restaurant architecture
• Foodservice consulting
• Restaurant interior design
• Prototype development
• Brand strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architectural design for restaurant concepts including new builds, remodels, and prototype development. Services encompass architecture, interior design, foodservice consulting, branding, graphics, construction administration, and rollout management for multi-unit concepts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Starr Design is an architectural and design firm that delivers full-service restaurant design, foodservice consulting, and brand development for multi-unit restaurant operators, franchise brands, and investors. Offerings span architecture, interior design, foodservice consulting, branding, graphics, concept development, prototype design, construction administration, and multi-unit rollout management, executed through a proprietary three-phase "Proven Recipe" methodology (Strategy, Design & Implement, Scale) with industry-leading REVIT production capabilities.

Product overview

Starr Design is an architectural and design firm specializing in the restaurant industry, offering a comprehensive suite of services across the entire restaurant development lifecycle. The core offerings include Restaurant Architecture, Restaurant Interior Design, Foodservice Consulting, Restaurant Branding, Environmental Graphics/Art, Restaurant Strategy, Concept Development, and Restaurant Rollout Management. Supporting services encompass Brand Collateral/Graphics, Logo/Identity, Construction Administration, Franchise Management, Packaging Design, and Value Engineering. The firm also provides digital resources including a Post Pandemic Playbook and a Brand Value Guide. Starr Design positions itself as a full-service partner helping restaurant concepts scale with confidence through their proven process, combining operational expertise with design excellence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Restaurant Architecture Full-service architectural design for restaurant facilities including building envelope, structural design, and construction documentation for new builds, remodels, and prototype development, delivered to multi-unit restaurant operators, franchise brands, and investors.
• Restaurant Interior Design Interior design services creating cohesive, branded dining environments with attention to atmosphere, seating, and customer experience for restaurant concepts.
• Foodservice Consulting Expert consultation on kitchen layout, equipment selection, workflow optimization, and operational efficiency for foodservice operations in restaurants and hospitality venues.
• Restaurant Branding Comprehensive branding services including brand identity development, positioning, and collateral creation for restaurant concepts, executed through the firm's Brand Discovery Process.
• Environmental Graphics and Art Design of environmental graphics, signage, and artwork that reinforce brand identity throughout the physical restaurant space.
• Restaurant Strategy Strategic consulting including brand discovery, consumer research, operational analysis, and site investigation for restaurant concepts.
• Concept Development New concept creation and development from initial ideation through prototype design and market positioning for restaurant brands.
• Restaurant Rollout Management Franchise and multi-unit rollout coordination ensuring design consistency and quality across all locations for restaurant chain operators and franchise brands.
• Brand Collateral and Graphics Design of brand assets, collateral materials, and visual communications for consistent brand presentation across restaurant touchpoints.
• Logo and Identity Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Zoës Kitchen: 220+ locations designed nationally, 18%+ AUV increase, helped lead to successful IPO, 125+ projects in 5 years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ADW ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarr Design partnered with ADW Architects on the Temple Israel renovation project in Charlotte, demonstrating capability for collaborative multi-firm architectural engagements.
• ProfitalityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIgnacio 'Iggy' Goris, principal and co-founder of Profitality (restaurant-focused industrial engineering firm), contributed to industry discussions alongside Starr Design on device culture and pickup/delivery design.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• FRCH Design Worldwide: FRCH Design Worldwide is one of the largest restaurant-focused design firms in the US, providing architecture, interior design, and brand strategy for major restaurant chains. It competes with Starr Design in the same niche of multi-unit restaurant concept development and rollout management.
• AvroKO: AvroKO is a hospitality-focused design firm with deep restaurant practice in concept development, interior design, and brand strategy for restaurant groups. Comparable to Starr Design in its integrated architecture + foodservice + branding offering for upscale and emerging restaurant concepts.
• Baskervill: Baskervill is an integrated architecture, interior design, and brand strategy firm with a strong hospitality and restaurant practice. It competes with Starr Design in delivering architecture, branding, and interior design for restaurant operators and hospitality groups.
• Chute Gerdeman (now part of G/A+O): Chute Gerdeman is a retail and restaurant branding + design firm specializing in creating immersive brand environments for chains. It overlaps directly with Starr Design's branding, interior design, and rollout work for restaurant and retail clients.
• Landini & Associates: Landini & Associates is a restaurant industry design specialist focused on concept branding, interior design, and operational design for food and beverage operators globally. It parallels Starr Design's full-service strategy + design + rollout approach for restaurant chains.
• Clickspring Design: Clickspring Design is a restaurant-focused consulting and design firm providing concept development, branding, and prototype design for restaurant brands. It overlaps with Starr Design in foodservice consulting and prototype-driven rollout work for chains.
• Trilogy Design Group: Trilogy Design Group specializes in restaurant design, brand development, and architectural services for chain operators and emerging concepts. It is comparable to Starr Design in its turnkey design-plus-branding model for multi-unit restaurant clients.

Broad incumbents

• CallisonRTKL (part of Arcadis): CallisonRTKL is a large architecture firm with a hospitality and retail practice serving restaurant and entertainment clients. Comparable as a broad incumbent capable of competing for the same enterprise restaurant design work as Starr Design.
• Gensler: Gensler is a global architecture and design giant with substantial restaurant and hospitality practice. As a broad incumbent, it serves overlapping enterprise restaurant clients but lacks Starr Design's foodservice-operations specialization and brand-integrated rollout methodology.

Others

• Profitality: Profitality is a restaurant-focused industrial engineering and operational consulting firm that complements design firms with kitchen workflow and operational analysis. Listed in Starr Design's partnership/alliances, it represents an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/starrdesignteam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starrdesign
• Facebookfacebook.com/starrdesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Starr Design