Starbird has entered a new region with its first Chicago-area restaurant, and with it, the chain has officially made its Midwest debut. The California-based fast casual chicken brand opened in St. Charles, Illinois, on October 19.
Where Starbird Opened and Why It Matters
The new restaurant is at 845 S. Randall Rd. in St. Charles, according to Starbird’s locations page and local opening coverage. Nation’s Restaurant News reported that the opening is the first of five planned locations in the Chicago market through a partnership with Keystone Management Group.
That makes this more than a single store launch. For Starbird, it is an early test of how its chicken concept plays in a major new region far from its California base. The company told Nation’s Restaurant News that it sees Chicago as a strategic next step because of the market’s scale, with nearly 10 million consumers.
The move also broadens a footprint that, on Starbird’s own locations page, now includes restaurants in California, Colorado, Illinois, and Washington. The Illinois opening stands out because it is the brand’s first listed location in the state and its first in the Midwest…