Starbird will soon be clucking in Denver.
The California-based chicken chain will fly into 965 S. Colorado Blvd., this summer.
Daniel Wagner heads the franchisee group Whiplash Holdings, which announced a deal last November with Starbird to bring seven fast-food restaurants to metro Denver.
Wagner, formerly director of operations for local chicken chain Birdcall, said he hopes those seven Starbirds are successful enough to justify further growth.
“We want to knock it out of the park and pump 12 to 15 locations in the area,” he said.
He mentioned the Highlands, Westminster and Green Valley Ranch as other spots being looked at.
The group signed a 10-year lease last month for the 2,435-square-foot Colorado Boulevard building, which Starbird will share with Einstein Bros. Bagels.
This will be the first non-Golden State store for Starbird. It has 17 restaurants across Los Angeles and San Francisco, where it has its headquarters, and recently signed more franchise agreements in Salt Lake City and Chicago. It also plans to bring 17 stores to Washington state.
The chain, founded in 2016, sells various forms of antibiotic-free poultry, including $10 chicken parm sandwiches, $14.50 lemon pepper tenders boxes and $14 chopped salads.
David Schneider of Axio Commercial Real Estate represented Wagner and Whiplash in a deal negotiated directly with Florida-based landlord N.E.G Property Services.
“Colorado Boulevard is like the dream street for any business, not even just a restaurant,” Wagner said.
Wagner said Starbird’s approach to fast food is what intrigued him, mainly Starbird’s role in helping community organizations raise funds. He noted that his locations plan to support the Denver Children’s Foundation and high school sports and music programs in the area.
“I think the Denver market could do really well with this brand, and we want to go into dense areas with a lot of families,” he said. “I didn’t realize what we were missing in this market until we tried this.”
This story was originally published on BusinessDen.