Bird Dog

Casual Dining Restaurantsbirddogmattawan.com

Bird Dog is a privately held, single-location modern American restaurant in Mattawan, Michigan, founded in 2019 by Chef Matt Bush and Allison Maxwell. It serves local diners with fresh, seasonal cuisine, a full bar, catering, and themed special-occasion dining.

Company typePrivate
Founded2019
HeadquartersMattawan, United States
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Bird Dog does

Bird Dog is a single-location modern American restaurant founded in October 2019 by Chef Matt Bush and co-owner Allison Maxwell, operating from 57649 Murray Street in Mattawan, Michigan. The concept centers on fresh, local, and seasonal fare prepared in an interactive open kitchen and complemented by a full bar program featuring specialty cocktails, wine, and craft beer. Menu pricing ranges from $8 sides to $79 premium entrées (e.g., American Wagyu Delmonico Ribeye), with dedicated brunch (Saturday-Sunday), lunch (Tuesday-Friday), and dinner (Tuesday-Sunday) service windows; the restaurant is closed Mondays and operates on a first-come, first-served basis except for themed igloo and holiday reservations.

Revenue is generated through three channels: dine-in food and beverage sales, take-out orders subject to an automatic 15% gratuity, and customized catering for private events and small gatherings. A secondary revenue stream comes from e-gift cards sold via the Toasttab platform. The customer base is geographically defined, consisting of residents of Mattawan and surrounding Michigan communities seeking upscale casual dining and special-occasion experiences. Marketing relies on organic social channels (Instagram and Facebook) and the Toasttab gift-card distribution link.

The business is a privately held, founder-owned independent restaurant with no disclosed external funding, parent company, subsidiaries, or franchise structure. Operational technology is limited to standard restaurant tooling (Squarespace website, Toasttab for payments/gift cards, social media) with no proprietary platforms, AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or third-party integrations beyond payment processing. The reported 142-person headcount is consistent with a full-service restaurant that staffs front-of-house, kitchen, and management roles across extended daily service hours.

Bird Dog firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Bird Dog
Legal name: Bird Dog
Website: https://birddogmattawan.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2019
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Short description: Bird Dog is a privately held, single-location modern American restaurant in Mattawan, Michigan, founded in 2019 by Chef Matt Bush and Allison Maxwell. It serves local diners with fresh, seasonal cuisine, a full bar, catering, and themed special-occasion dining.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Where Bird Dog is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Mattawan
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Bird Dog business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Dine-in Food & Beverage Sales: Traditional restaurant revenue from serving food and beverages to dine-in customers. Menu includes brunch, lunch, and dinner service with full bar offerings including specialty cocktails, wine, and craft beer.
Take-out Orders: To-go orders with 15% automatic gratuity added to check
Catering & Events: Customized event packages for catered events and small gatherings

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Lunch Menu pricing

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Bird Dog product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Bird Dog is a modern American restaurant in Mattawan, Michigan that serves fresh, locally sourced, seasonal fare through dine-in (indoor and outdoor seating), take-out, and catering services. The restaurant operates multiple day-part menus (brunch on weekends, lunch Tuesday-Friday, dinner Tuesday-Sunday) and complements food with a full bar offering specialty cocktails, wine, and craft beer. The interactive-kitchen concept and themed experiences (such as Candy Land igloos) are central to its identity.

Product overview

Bird Dog is a single-location modern American restaurant operated as a unified dining concept. The core offering is dine-in restaurant services featuring an interactive kitchen and full bar. The business operates three distinct meal period modules: Brunch Menu (Saturday-Sunday 10am-3pm), Lunch Menu (Tuesday-Friday 11am-4pm), and Dinner Menu (Tuesday-Thursday 4pm-9pm, Friday-Saturday 3pm-10pm, Sunday 3pm-8pm). Additional services include Catering & Events for private gatherings and E-Gift Cards sold via Toasttab integration. The restaurant is led by Chef Matt Bush and wife Allison Maxwell.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Dine-In Restaurant Service Modern American restaurant offering indoor and outdoor first-come, first-serve dining, featuring an interactive kitchen, full bar with specialty cocktails, wine, and craft beer, and locally sourced seasonal fare across brunch, lunch, and dinner service.
Catering and Private Events Customized catering packages for private events and small gatherings, built around the restaurant's modern American, locally sourced menu.
E-Gift Cards Digital gift cards sold through the Toasttab platform, allowing customers to gift Bird Dog dining credit to others.

Companies that use Bird Dog

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Bird Dog technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Bird Dog partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

ToasttabminorGTM or Marketing PartnerToasttab platform used for e-gift card sales. Bird Dog's gift cards are sold through Toasttab's online gift card system.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Bird Dog competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Ruth's Chris Steak House: National upscale steakhouse with premium steak offerings at comparable price points and a full bar; broad incumbent reference point for the upscale steakhouse segment Bird Dog competes within.
The Capital Grille: National upscale steakhouse chain under Darden with premium steak pricing and a full bar program; comparable on check size and steakhouse positioning, though part of a broader portfolio rather than a chef-led independent.
Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants: National upscale-casual chain combining a restaurant with a winery and craft beverage program; similar experiential positioning, seasonal menu philosophy, and full bar model at chain scale.
Seasons 52: Darden-owned fresh, seasonal upscale-casual concept with a rotating menu and bar program; shares Bird Dog's seasonal, locally-inspired positioning at national scale.

Direct peers

Zingerman's Roadhouse: Ann Arbor chef-driven American restaurant with a strong local-sourcing, farm-to-table philosophy; directly comparable chef-led model and seasonal menu approach in the Michigan market.
Founders Brewing & Taproom: Grand Rapids craft brewery with a full food menu and bar; comparable food-plus-craft-beverage experience, regional brand recognition, and event-driven revenue model in West Michigan.
The Lark: Chef-driven modern American restaurant in Grand Rapids with a craft cocktail program and upscale-casual positioning; directly comparable concept, price tier, and experiential dining model in the same West Michigan region.
Bistro Bella Vita: Grand Rapids chef-driven upscale American/Mediterranean restaurant with a full bar and comparable check averages; similar experiential dining positioning and chef ownership profile.
San Chez: Grand Rapids chef-driven Spanish/tapas restaurant with a full bar and intimate setting; comparable chef-led upscale-casual concept serving a similar West Michigan dining demographic.

Regional players

The Chop House: Michigan-based steakhouse chain offering premium steaks at price points comparable to Bird Dog's filet and wagyu offerings; relevant comp on menu overlap and check size, though operated as a regional chain rather than independent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Bird Dog financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Bird Dog leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Bird Dog funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Bird Dog M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Bird Dog

What does Bird Dog do?

Is Bird Dog a public or private company?

Bird Dog is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Bird Dog founded?

Bird Dog was founded in 2019. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is Bird Dog based?

Bird Dog is headquartered in Mattawan, United States, in the North America region.

How does Bird Dog make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Food & Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are take-out Orders and catering & Events.

Who are Bird Dog's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Ruth's Chris Steak House, The Capital Grille, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants and Seasons 52. Direct peers are Zingerman's Roadhouse, Founders Brewing & Taproom, The Lark, Bistro Bella Vita and San Chez. The Chop House is listed as a regional player.

Does Bird Dog have an API?

No public API is recorded for Bird Dog.