Bird, the free range, fried chicken restaurant concept, has secured its second site in London, as it aspires to “do for fried chicken what Byron did for burgers”.
The company, which is led by husband and wife team Paul Hemings and Cara Ceppetelli, has secured former pub The Bailey at 81 Holloway Road, N7 for its second restaurant.
The concept, which launched in Shoreditch last year, is understood to have retained Restaurant Property to seek further sites in locations such as Soho, Kings Cross, Hackney and Covent Garden.
It is paying in excess of the quoting rent of £50,000 per year for the 2,448sq ft ground floor and basement. It has taken a new 15-year lease from the private landlord of the property.
Paul Hemings told M&C Report the concept behind the casual dine-in restaurant is to change the reputation of fried chicken: “It’s everywhere but generally suffers from a bad reputation for poor quality and a cheap, inferior brand image. There are few options for people who want something fresh that treats fried chicken with respect.”
The menu includes classic sides as well as Chinese and Korean influences to complement the fresh, lighter approach to the chicken, a combination widely seen in larger cities in America but relatively unheard of in the UK.
The chicken is all British and free range, delivered fresh daily and all ingredients are responsibly sourced; the chicken can be enjoyed with salads, sides and desserts, as well as hot, fresh doughnuts and coffee from £1 sold out of The Doughnut Hatch.
Bird aims to pull in a London clientele who have long grown out of the “bargain bucket” after a Saturday night at the pub, but still want a “naughty but nice” meal out.
Restaurant Property’s Steve Lambell advised the landlord on the Islington deal.
