Freebirds World Burrito debuted a new prototype restaurant Thursday in The Colony, Texas, that features what executives call a “modern farmhouse aesthetic.”
Austin, Texas-based Freebirds, a division of international private investment company Tavistock Group, unveiled the prototype in a new strip shopping center end-cap unit in the Dallas suburb.
“We’ve used reclaimed wood and something of an industrial look,” Bobby Shaw, Freebirds chief operating officer, told Nation’s Restaurant News during a tour. “What we were going for is a modern farmhouse aesthetic. We felt like that translated into who we are, which is a premium brand.”
The decor features cold-rolled steel surfaces, wood accent walls, concrete floors, brick and industrial piping for some bar-height and communal table seating.
The 2,400-square-foot space offers 44 seats and additional accommodations on an attached patio.
“The design fits into our plans for growth,” Shaw said. The 95-unit brand plans to extend the prototype elements to a new restaurant scheduled to open in Temple, Texas, in the first quarter of 2016, as well as openings later in the year in the new market of Nashville, Tenn., where the company plans restaurants in Green Hills and Murfreesboro.
“This is a little smaller than our older restaurants,” Shaw said. “This one is 2,400 square feet, which is the sweet spot for us.”
“This type of environment is what guests are really looking for, and it really emphasizes our scratch kitchen,” Shaw said.
About half the square footage is devoted to food preparation and service areas, he added, and the Austin-based architectural firm opened the kitchen even more to the dining room than in older units.
“We believe the open kitchen really allows the guest to see their culinary creations come to life,” Shaw said. “You are only a few feet away, including the griddle, stove and range. You can see the prep happening and smell the food being prepared.”
Alan LaFevers, Freebird vice president of operations, said the new kitchen layout also offers a duplicate line for catering and to-go orders.
The kitchen design was crafted to never require staff members to turn their backs to the guests in the order line, Shaw said. The walk-in refrigerator even has double doors that face the dining room to allow guests’ views of the ingredients and let the staff provide ease of access.
Freebirds introduced several new menu items this year, including seasonal salsas like chili-mango and a vegan protein offering.
Technological additions in the new prototype include an iPad for line-busting credit card transactions, Shaw said, as well as Freebirds’ first use of digital menu boards. The company plans to launch a mobile app in early 2016.
Freebirds, founded in 1987, has company-owned units in California, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, and five franchised units in Utah.
Tavistock Group bought the concept in 2007, and the company moved the Freebirds division’s headquarters from Emeryville, Calif., to Austin in March.
The Tavistock Restaurant Collection’s other brands include Abe & Louie’s, Atlas, AquaKnox, Napa Valley Grille, California Cafe, Atlantic Fish, Coach Grill, ZED451, Joe’s American Bar & Grill, Blackhawk Grille, Timpano, Cafe del Rey, Canonita and Sapporo.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].
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