Birdcall building two new Boulder roosts

BOULDER — Birdcall, a Denver-born fast-casual chicken sandwich restaurant concept, is opening a pair of new shops in Boulder.

The first, expected to open Friday, will be within the Whole Foods Market at 2905 Pearl St. and the second, which is targeting Thanksgiving week for an opening, will be at the site of the former Pei Wei Asian Diner in the Twenty Ninth Street shopping district at 1975 29th St. 

“For the longest time, we’ve been such big fans of Boulder and have so much love for the city,” Birdcall CEO Peter John Newlin said. “We couldn’t be more excited.”

Birdcall isn’t your typical chicken joint. Newlin said the company takes as much influence from brands like Patagonia as it does Popeyes.

The ingredients are natural and locally sourced, and ordering is done through a touch-screen kiosk in a dining room filled with local art and murals.

“Our whole mission is how do we make natural foods more accessible,” Newlin said.

The automated ordering system allows Birdcall to keep prices low, get food out quicker and to make front-of-house employees a bigger part of the diners’ overall experience.

“Birdcall’s always been focused on having no line,” Newlin said. “… On top of improved efficiency, it allows for our front of the house to focus on opening doors, saying hello and getting to know our neighbors.”

Birdcall has a longtime partnership with Whole Foods, having operated a restaurant out of the grocer’s Union Square location in Denver.

“We’ve really had to revisit our menu to figure out how to meet the standards of Whole Foods,” Newlin said. “We know a lot about a lot, but Whole Foods knows a lot about food sourcing and win-win relationships.”

The Twenty Ninth Street location of Birdcall, which sources its chicken for Colorado Native Foods, will feature a full bar with a focus on local beers such as Upslope Brewing Co., Avery Brewing Co., Bootstrap Brewing Co. and Four Noses Brewing Co.

“We’re trying to partner with some of these smaller organizations [as opposed to big corporate food and drink suppliers] that are trying to change the way food is developed and sourced,” he said.

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