By Joe and John Lanni and Alex Blust, Co-Founders of CityBird
When we first opened CityBird in 2018, we had no idea the kind of momentum it would take on. What started as a tiny, 800-square-foot walk-up window next door to The Eagle, our full-service Southern-style restaurant in Cincinnati, was meant to be a simple solution. It served as a carryout extension where guests could quickly grab the fried chicken they loved. But, it quickly grew into something more, and guests couldn’t get enough of our chicken tenders. We were selling so many that we realized CityBird wasn’t just a spin-off, it was the beginning of a new concept with a life of its own.
CityBird was built from guest demand, everything from the simplicity of the menu to the bold sauces and house-brined tenders. That passion from our customers is what drove us to grow the brand into a standalone concept, and now, into a national franchise opportunity.
Today, we have nine locations operating across five states, and are actively seeking franchise partners to help meet growing demand and bring CityBird to more communities across the Midwest and South. This next chapter is about more than growth, it’s about partnering with entrepreneurs who share our love for great food, hospitality, and operational excellence.
What makes CityBird special is its clarity of purpose: we do one thing, and we do it extremely well. Our menu focuses on premium, all-natural, cage-free chicken tenders that are brined, hand-dredged, and fried to order. Paired with house-made sauces, crispy fries, and fresh slaw, it’s comfort food with serious craft behind it.
City Bird Interior
The fast-casual fried chicken space is booming. According to Q3 2024 data, visits to fried chicken restaurants rose by 4.3% year-over-year, showing sustained momentum in consumer appetite for quality chicken concepts. But even within that booming category, CityBird stands out for its simplicity, speed, and flavor. Our concise menu allows for fast service and consistent execution, giving franchisees a model that’s not only delicious but operationally sound.
We’ve built CityBird to be adaptable through flexible formats like drive-thrus and dine-in locations, meaning we can succeed in both urban and suburban markets. The investments we’ve made in technology to support operational efficiency, customer engagement, and real-time data visibility were carefully designed to make the franchise experience smoother and more rewarding.
As part of Thunderdome Restaurant Group, CityBird benefits from a leadership team with more than 45 years of combined restaurant experience and a proven track record of launching successful brands. Alongside CityBird, our portfolio includes other successful concepts like Currito, Bakersfield, Pepp & Dolores, The Davidson, Maplewood, Krueger’s, and The Eagle. We’ve grown restaurants from a single storefront to multi-state operations, and we understand the level of support franchisees need to succeed.
That experience informs every part of the CityBird model. We’ve removed the operational complexity, built comprehensive training and onboarding programs, and created a franchisee support system that mirrors our own commitment to excellence. Our mission is simple, we want to deliver the best chicken tenders in the business, and make it as easy as possible for our franchise partners to do the same.
CityBird is actively targeting expansion in cities where we already have strong regional recognition and operational knowledge. We’re currently seeking franchisees in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville, Lexington, and Chicago, markets where we know our brand will thrive.
As an emerging franchise, CityBird offers something rare: the chance to get in early with a brand that already has proof of concept, loyal fans, and the backing of a seasoned restaurant group. There’s aggressive white space available, and we’re being intentional about growing with the right partners in the right markets.
With our average unit volume increasing from $1.09m to $1.14m year-over-year, our existing locations have seen consistent sales and most of them have experienced growth. The unit economics are strong, the consumer demand is there, the market is hungry for what we offer and we feel more confident than ever in our decision to franchise.
We’ve spent the last several years refining the model, proving the concept, and ensuring we could scale without sacrificing quality or guest experience. Now, with infrastructure in place and demand rising, it’s time to bring CityBird to more communities, and we can’t do it alone.
As we look to the future, we’re incredibly excited about the journey ahead. CityBird was built by listening to our guests, and that commitment to putting them first will continue to drive the brand’s growth and vision for the future.