Freebirds World Burrito announced today that it has completed the transition of its former national headquarters in Emeryville, California to its new digs in Austin, Texas. This move signifies an important milestone for Freebirds, as all support operations are now housed under one roof in the Great Hills Corporate Center. The Central Texas location is an ideal fit for the growing fast-casual leader, which has more than sixty of its 100+ Freebirds locations in Texas. This is one of many new developments for the leading brand, which recently named Bobby Shaw as Chief Operating Officer, elevating him from his former position as Senior Vice President of Operations.
“Throughout his time at Freebirds, Bobby has demonstrated a collaborative ‘better together’ management style, which has both helped drive positive changes at Freebirds as well as take full advantage of the parent company’s strength,” said Charles B. Lewis, chairman of Freebirds World Burrito and Tavistock Restaurant Collection. “While the company officially started in Santa Barbara in 1987, Central Texas is largely thought of as the home of Freebirds since we opened in College Station in 1991. It feels natural to have everyone here in Texas supporting all our restaurants as we build the brand across the country.”
Freebirds grew to 17 locations in the early ‘90s until 2010, the year it doubled its locations to 34. By 2012, its 25th anniversary, Freebirds’ numbers had doubled yet again to 68. In 2015, Freebirds has more than 100 locations and 2,000 employees throughout seven western United States, including: Texas, California, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Utah.
Shaw, for one, is excited about where the company stands and the future that lies ahead. The Freebirds leadership team has charted a road map for the continued evolution of the brand by concentrating on three main objectives: better engagement with guests (known as Fanatics) to create an even better experience; creating a career path for Freebirds staff (known as the Tribe) to build lifelong skills; and a greater focus on culinary innovation to bring guests the freshest food, made from scratch at each and every Freebirds location.
“Our success at Freebirds is built on the strength of our Tribe —our employees— and our passion for people and food,” offers Shaw.
In 2015, Freebirds has already introduced several new additions to its menu, including seasonal salsas and featured items including the Lite Chicken Bowl, BBQ Classic Burrito and the Spicy Chicken Burrito.Coupled with a newly launched website, www.Freebirds.com, and a robust marketing and communications plan, Freebirds will begin to tell its story like it has never done before. The award-winning, fast-growing brand also has a strong real estate pipeline to grow existing markets and expand into some exciting new places in 2015 and beyond.