The Starbird chicken chain relies on ‘premium ingredients’ like the top salads on the menu
Starbird founder Aaron Noveshen told FOX Business that the chain is redefining fast food with high-quality ingredients.
The California-based chicken chain says salads have overtaken fried foods as its best-selling category as the company prepares for multistate expansion.
Starbird, a “premium fast food” chain with about 20 brick-and-mortar locations across California and Colorado, has seen its entree-sized salads become its best-selling category, founder Aaron Noveshen told FOX Business.
“We serve wings and tenders and sandwiches and other traditional dishes [quick service restaurant] or fast-style chicken products,” Noveshen said. “But they’re really premium ingredients [and] it’s the healthy indulgence you can have at Starbird that really sets us apart.”
Starbird Salad includes Elote Chop Salad, Avo Cabo Crunch, Tokyo Sesame Crunch, Thai Chicken and Chicken Chop, according to the chain’s website.
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Aaron Noveshen, chef de cuisine, founded Starbird in 2016. (Starbird)
Founded in 2016 by Noveshen, a fine dining chef, Starbird was built on the idea that American fast food could be elevated with high quality ingredients and a modern guest experience.
The chain uses fresh chicken that is hand-ground and cooked in rice bran oil in small batches — a process Noveshen says results in a light, fresh product.
“The product is incredibly fresh, incredibly light and delicious,” he said.
Aside from its food, Starbird relies heavily on technology.
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Starbird salads and chicken sandwiches are featured on the exterior of one of the chain’s brick-and-mortar locations. (Starbird)
Most orders are placed digitally, whether through the company’s mobile app, online ordering platform or in-store kiosks, according to Noveshen.
In addition to “streetside” restaurants, the company operates in several non-traditional locations.
Starbird has locations inside Levi’s Stadium, as well as San Francisco International Airport and California Memorial Stadium, home to the University of California, Berkeley football team.
With the Super Bowl being hosted at Levi’s Stadium this year, the Bay Area saw an influx of visitors and events leading up to the game.
“Because Starbird is such a well-known brand, people can fly in to have Starbird at the airport, they can come to the stadium and have Starbird,” Noveshen said. “… It was one of our biggest weeks in company history.”
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Noveshen plans to expand Starbird to five new states in the next year. (Starbird)
As Starbird celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, the chain plans to expand to five new states over the next year, including Washington state, according to Noveshen.
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“That’s the way we think about things at Starbird,” Noveshen said. “Create a little positivity, put a smile on people’s faces and share the fun.”
