Chicken Chain Birdcall Adds First Franchisee to Its Flock

Birdcall, a Denver-based craft chicken brand, is set for its first stage of franchise growth with the signing of its initial agreement. Caleb Randall, an entrepreneur from Idaho, signed on to develop five locations in and around Boise.

Unlike some restaurant concepts, the fast-casual chicken brand Birdcall didn’t begin with brainstorming what should be on the menu or how the logo should look.

Instead, the focus revolved around the point-of-sale system. Called Poncho, it was created by Peter Newlin as a technology company, meant to digitally integrate operations for restaurants. Ryan O’Haro, Birdcall chief financial officer, said it was an idea that morphed into its own restaurant.

“Poncho was created first in 2016, and the founders realized they needed a restaurant to put it in,” O’Haro said. “They also wanted to ride the chicken sandwich craze at the time. With Birdcall, their goal was an effort to create a higher quality, all-natural chicken sandwich offering in a fast-casual environment.”

Poncho, the software that runs the POS, kitchen display systems and omnichannel ordering, became a key part of Birdcall’s development and, eventually, its operations, when the first restaurant opened in 2017 in Denver. In the time since, the brand has grown to 15 company-owned units, with 11 in Colorado, two in Dallas and two in Phoenix.

In 2024, the brand published its franchise disclosure document, setting the stage for franchise development this year. It found its first owner in Caleb Randall, who spent more than a decade cutting his teeth with Dutch Bros Coffee.

“I was with Dutch Bros for about 16 years,” Randall said. “My brother is a franchisee with them so I began as their regional manager and the company later developed their business coach role, which I took on. I started in that position in 2017 and helped oversee franchise and company-owned locations.”

Through 2022, Randall assisted operators at Dutch Bros locations in Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. In the role, Randall said he did a little bit of everything, but was focused on helping units in the region with finances, operations and culture.

“We were growing a lot at the time, and that growth comes with a lot of openings,” Randall said. “So, we were also making sure that when those shops opened, they had all the resources they needed and were set to go.”

After years of helping other entrepreneurs begin their business ownership paths, he decided start his own. In January 2023, the Boise donut concept Guru Donuts went up for sale, and Randall jumped on the opportunity.

“I think the reason I stuck with Dutch Bros was to gain experience and perspective,” Randall said. “I always had an entrepreneurial spirit and was considering doing things on my own at some point. I also love the service industry and the QSR space has become my sweet spot. I also enjoy leadership development and scaling a brand.

“When it came to choosing Guru, one of the goals I had was trying a new venture, while also planting my roots in Idaho. So, I found out about Guru being for sale, and it felt right for me to go ahead with the acquisition.”

Since acquiring the local donut company, Randall kept an eye out for other brands with potential, and that’s what he found with Birdcall after reading about them in a magazine.

“I learned about their franchise opportunity, and thought, ‘who are these guys?’” Randall said. “I started doing a ton of research, found out what they’re doing and fell in love with what I learned. I started looking into their C-suite and the support they provide, along with how they planned to scale, and decided to reach out.”

In his due diligence phase over the next few months, Randall said there were several positives that stood out about Birdcall.

“It came down to partnering with a brand that was reputable and had legs,” Randall said. “I was attracted to their operating system, Poncho, and just saw it as a sexy brand. The stores look good and they have a killer menu. I think they have something new and fresh in the chicken market. They’re really tapping into Korean flavors, no one is really doing that, and it’s a menu that’s easy to execute at an operational level.”

The ease of operations was an especially important selling point in deciding on Birdcall for Randall, who said he appreciated how labor is utilized in the stores.

“They have line-busting methods and live-order tickers for customers, so you don’t have to staff a ton of people up front,” Randall said. “Most of your staff is back of house making the food, and that’s a big part of it, because your staff is mostly focused on producing the menu.”

“Our technology is meant to enable the team to enhance hospitality,” O’Haro said. “We don’t do it to replace hospitality. We want it to make the work easier for our staff to do their job, which makes it more enjoyable for the guest.”

Enhancing the experience for the guest is also why Birdcall decided to continue its growth via the franchise model, as it allows the brand to better connect with different communities.

“We feel that good franchise partners are the best way to expand Birdcall outside of our home markets,” O’Haro said. “We know Colorado like the back of our hands. So, we want to find franchisees, like Caleb, who are tied into their communities in Boise, who know what it likes, what it needs and can make it successful.”

Randall’s first location is set to open in 2026, with an expectation to open one each year. Randall said he opted for five units because it’s the minimum he’d like to open.

“I want to scale and do more, but five is a good starting point for me,” Randall said. “I think in Boise and the surrounding area, five shops is the right amount. Over the next five years, if they’re crushing it, we might do more in the region.”

For O’Haro, Randall is not only the first franchisee, but a model partner, as the brand is looking for multi-unit deals going forward.

“Our ideal franchisee is one who can build five, 10 or more stores,” O’Haro said. “At a minimum, we want them to sign on for three. While we have nothing against mom-and-pop operators, we feel like the best success will come from the franchisees with more institutional knowledge and stability.

“We feel Randall fits that mold,” said O’Haro. “He brings energy and excitement to Birdcall, along with an excellent background from Dutch Bros. He saw that company really explode, so we’re excited about learning things from him, in terms of what a brand can do right and the wrong things not to do as he opens his locations.”

Since opening itself to franchising, O’Haro said most of the interest is coming from the Mountain West, West Coast and Midwest regions. However, he said the brand is open to developers in eastern states, too.

The initial investment to open a Birdcall unit, which averages 2,300 square feet, ranges from $702,000 to $2.4 million.

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