Denver-born chicken chain Birdcall is getting ready to spread its wings into the southwest suburbs, thanks to a new five-unit franchise development deal that will push the brand further along the metro’s 470 corridor. The agreement, inked with a Littleton-based husband-and-wife team, is expected to deliver the first new location in roughly 18 months, bringing Birdcall’s chef-driven chicken sandwiches, bright self-serve kiosks, and patio seating to neighborhoods beyond the city center.
The company rolled out the news in a press release, naming Littleton residents Niraj Aryal and Rebecca Michael as the new franchisees, according to Franchising.com. "We’re thrilled to welcome Niraj and Rebecca to the Birdcall family and to continue expanding along the Southwest Denver corridor," Birdcall CEO Mark Lohmann said in the announcement. The suburban stores are slated to offer the full Birdcall menu along with the chain’s familiar extras, including arcade games, draft beer, and outdoor seating.
Aryal and Michael already run a UPS Store in Littleton and are now branching their franchise portfolio into the restaurant world, QSR Magazine reports. The pair is currently recruiting real estate help and local operators, with plans to open the first of their five units in about 18 months as they lock in leases.
Where They Might Land
Industry coverage indicates the new franchise partners are focusing on the 470 corridor, targeting potential sites in Lakewood, Littleton, Ken Caryl, and Dakota Ridge, though no leases have been signed yet, per RestaurantNews. They are said to be weighing parcels in shopping centers and near commuter routes to capture suburban lunch and dinner traffic.
Birdcall's Growth Push
The southwest Denver deal is part of a bigger growth play. Birdcall currently runs roughly 16 restaurants across Colorado, Arizona, and Texas and is projecting as many as 200 locations nationwide by the end of 2028, according to QSR Magazine. Industry coverage notes the brand has been leaning hard into franchising, signing multiple multi-unit agreements in recent months.
From Five Points To The Suburbs
Birdcall got its start in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood in 2017 and built a local following on chef-driven chicken sandwiches paired with a tech-forward ordering setup, according to the company’s website. The brand also spotlights community-focused efforts like its “1% Back” program when it courts new franchisees, per Birdcall.
What This Could Mean Locally
If all five restaurants move ahead, each location is expected to generate a few dozen jobs and require a typical franchise buildout that industry observers peg in the high six-figure to low seven-figure range. RestaurantNews notes Birdcall’s standard investment runs from about $752,000 to $2.6 million per unit, with a franchise fee near $50,000 and average unit volumes the company promotes to potential operators.
For now, Aryal and Michael are still scouting sites and hammering out leases, so residents along the 470 corridor can expect planning documents and lease filings to start popping up in the coming months. Coverage in The Business Journals has also highlighted Birdcall’s stated goal of scaling to hundreds of locations by 2028, a plan that would give the Denver-born brand a much bigger footprint across Colorado.
