Local chicken chain Birdcall adding Littleton, Green Valley Ranch locations

This story first appeared on BusinessDen.com, a BizWest news partner.

Birdcall CEO Peter Newlin doesn’t want Coloradans to think he forgot about them.

After spreading the company’s wings to expand out-of-state — a location has opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, and multiple ones are in the works in Texas — the local fried chicken chain is continuing to up the ante into Colorado.

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Birdcall plans to open two new locations in Green Valley Ranch and Littleton next year.

“We’re looking to continue to grow in Colorado, especially as Birdcall is growing in Texas and Arizona, because it’s where Birdcall all started,” Newlin said.

The Gastamo Group, which Newlin and Jean-Philippe Failyau own, leased the new Birdcall locations over the last three months. JLL brokers Sam Zaitz and Jeff Feldman represented the company.

The Littleton Birdcall will be at 7503 S. University Blvd., where Wells Fargo previously operated. Newlin said the group plans to demolish the bank building and erect a 2,500-square-foot location. The Green Valley Ranch location will be in a new development at the corner of 56th Avenue and Tower Road.

The restaurants will be the company’s first ground-up developments.

“Building restaurants from the ground up is ultimately the dream, but finding standalone properties for drive-thrus is challenging,” Newlin said.

Birdcall, which Newlin and Failyau launched in Five Points in 2017, has five locations along the Front Range, plus another three within Whole Foods stores. All are corporate owned.

Newlin said both new Colorado locations will have patios, drive-thrus, fire pits and outdoor games. The group plans to test out a “fast pass” lane, where customers can order ahead of time online and skip the drive-thru wait, at the Green Valley Ranch location.

In 2023, in addition to the two planned Colorado locations, Birdcall expects to open four new locations in Texas and two in Arizona. Greenwood Village-based Mantucket Capital is helping fund the expansion. Newlin said he’s eyeing additional Colorado locations in the Colorado Springs to Fort Collins corridor.

“Ultimately, we’re growing Birdcall because we believe in our mission of making natural foods more accessible. And in order to grow our mission, we have to grow our footprint,” Newlin said.

The Gastamo Group’s other restaurants include Homegrown Tap & Dough, Park Burger and Perdida. Newlin said the company plans to expand Homegrown and Lady Normada concepts, although he wasn’t ready to divulge specifics.