Do you hear that? It’s almost like a bird is calling. And Starkville answered the phone.
Birdcall, a Colorado-based chicken sandwich restaurant, plans to expand its footprint to the Magnolia State.
Ryan O’Haro, Birdcall chief financial officer, confirmed the location will open in the historic State Theatre at 213 E. Main St. The plan is to open by August, before Mississippi State students return to school.
Building owner and State Theatre operator Mark Hayden, along with his brother Greg, wanted to bring a complementary restaurant to support the local bar downtown. Hayden has another business in Colorado which is where he got the idea to expand Birdcall to Mississippi.
“It’s an amazing concept that everyone in Colorado loves,” he said. “It’s going to be a big hit here.”
Birdcall offers a variety of chicken sandwiches, tenders, sliders, fries, tater tots, salads and even a selection of milkshakes and beers.
Founded in the Five Points neighborhood in Denver, Colorado, nearly 10 years ago, Birdcall has expanded to include 12 locations throughout the Centennial State, two in Arizona and two in Texas, with more locations expected to open in the coming year.
The 3,500 square-foot building that previously housed Arepa’s downtown is already “built out” and won’t require a ton of work, Hayden said.
“We’ll do minor, superficial changes and we’ll get started as soon as we get our permits,” he said. “… We’re happy to bring a fresh, new concept to Starkville and we’re encouraged by what the city of Starkville is doing to the downtown area.”
As the company states online, Birdcall’s northstar is the community it’s in. To me, that’s the most fascinating concept of the new restaurant coming to Starkville. Each restaurant gives back 1% to their community, providing meal donations, supplies to schools, hosting local nonprofits where sales are donated directly back to the organization and more.
There’s also a lot happening around Starkvegas this month, including a couple of shopping events worth putting on your radar.
The 2026 Warehouse sale is happening Friday and Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. in the old Western Auto Building, 308 University Drive. Admission is free and purchases will support the variety of stores downtown. If the impending winter storm doom affects the sale, Downtown Starkville will announce on Thursday evening.
If the weather doesn’t affect us, which I’m hoping for the best but preparing for the worst, we also have the Off-Campus Vintage and Arts Market 2-8 p.m. Sunday at Rick’s Cafe, 3149 B Hwy. 182 E. During the market you’ll find tons of vintage classics, art, shoes, jewelry, music and more. Stay up to date on the off-campus vintage and arts market social media for updates and changes in case of inclement weather.
Some not-so-great news, Starr Nutrition at 100 Starr Ave. will close by the month.
The shakes, tea and nutritional supplement store announced its closure last week on social media.
“It comes with a heavy heart to announce that we have made the difficult decision to close Starr Nutrition,” the social media post reads. “We are beyond blessed for the love and support we have received from the community these past few years.”
If you have gift cards, Starr Nutrition’s last day will be Jan. 31, so make sure to use them by then.
Moving over to Columbus, Heart 2 Heart Comfort Homecare in Columbus celebrated its grand opening at its new location last week.
The home healthcare facility is now open at 1204 Second Ave. N. Heart 2 Heart offers personal care, companionship, light housekeeping, meal prep, medication reminders and other daily living support services.
As temperatures continue to drop, I’m wishing everyone the best of luck staying warm and safe. If the roads get icy, stay indoors – because let’s be honest, Southern folks are not built for this kind of weather. My brother in Edmonton, Canada, is laughing at me (apparently, he hasn’t seen temperatures above zero all month), but that won’t stop me from complaining while sitting in front of my space heater with my dogs.
Be safe, stay warm and I’ll see y’all next week.
Former Dispatch reporter Mary Pollitz writes weekly about interesting business news. Have a tip? Send it to [email protected].
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
