Cold beer, hot fried chicken, and good times will rule once again at the forthcoming Byrd & Barrel, at 2652 Hampton, the space formerly occupied by Bobby's Place. Slated to open before the end of the year, the space (depicted here with architectural renderings) will boast a chicken-inspired design, thanks to V Three Studios' Gabe McKee.
The renovated exterior will include a covered three-season patio with a bar fashioned from a shipping container, painted white and emblazoned with the Byrd & Barrel logo. The Nug Shack will also take up residence on the patio, which can be rented out for private parties.
As McKee points out, the building was a pretty wild mashup from its beginnings. “We believe the original starting point of the space was a house,” he says. “If you look at the gable in the center, you can see the building was built around it.”
It was a challenging job that's been well met, with restaurant owner Bob Brazell and V Three Studios putting their heads together to reinvent the space to maximize the customer experience. They built in flexibility for safety and continuing operations during the pandemic. At the bottom of the ramped-down entrance, for instance, the Coop is where customers can pick up deli items, to-go orders, and merchandise. Brazell is also adding a rotisserie to offer ready-to-go whole chickens.
The lights are shaped like over-sized chicken wire, and the pattern repeats in the carpeting. The ceiling has a sculptural look that animates the entrance. McKee also incorporated a black custom metal mesh resembling chicken wire as partitions throughout the restaurant.
As guests enter the main bar from the Coop, the color shifts from black to white. The white tile bar is lined with 18 seats, an inviting perch for some guests.
When it came to differentiating the dining room from the bar, McKee and crew again used a black/white switch effectively. “You can see this white-to-black line clearly,” McKee says. “We’re creating the dining area with [artist] Killer Napkins' crazy chicken murals.” The shift into smaller dining areas also makes the perfect canvas for the edgy chicken art.
“One of the things Bob wants to convey is that Byrd is a cold beer–and–fried chicken kind of place. He’s collected—and is still collecting—old signs with that in mind,” McKee says. (A favorite: "Beware of Chickens," done in a classic style.)
Maximizing the seating, V Three developed a long skinny space. “The Run seating area is another play on the chicken theme,” McKee notes.
The new space promises to be as much fun as Byrd & Barrel's much-loved original space on Jefferson—but with even more room for hot chicken, cold beer, and good times.
