FCSI 2025 Project Showcase Winner: Buttered Biscuit
Form Follows Function A systems approach to updating a breakfast-and-lunch concept finds success. When The Buttered Biscuit, a four-unit Northwest Arkansas chain, decided to expand beyond its home market to the Little Rock metro area, owners Anna…
How Firebirds Fine-Tuned Its Design
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill’s latest prototype began with a comprehensive review, questioning the value of every aspect of the design. The original layout for Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, a Charlotte, N.C.-based steak and seafood concept, had served…
How to Design a Labor-Efficient Kitchen
Wing Zone is looking to remove people from its kitchens. The Las Vegas-based brand has recently implemented a company-wide rebranding, which included overhauling its kitchen design, technology, and AI to improve both operations and the customer…
Quick-Service Concept Hiya Taco Powered by Back-of-House Cook-Chill System
When Toro Taco Restaurant Group, a Milwaukee-based operator of the six-unit, full-service restaurant BelAir Cantina, was brainstorming new concepts that would be easier to operate and more cost-effective for future growth, they came up with a…
5 ways to design your restaurant for pickup and delivery success
From a well-thought-out labeling system to the placement of the food pickup area inside your restaurant, there are many ways to design for efficient and accurate pickup and delivery service. Here are a few snippets of the advice Starr Design Chief…
starr featured in foodservice equipment & supplies magazine
Among other industry experts, Steve Starr contributed to the featured article “Front & Center” for the November 2022 issue of FoodService Equipment & Supplies magazine about how important Open Kitchen and Food Theater is in…
Starrdesign Designs Firebirds Concept with New Contemporary Look and Feel
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill opens Nov. 9 at 16641 Birkdale Commons Pkwy. in Huntersville at Birkdale Landing, the company said Thursday. The revitalized mixed-use development is across from Birkdale Village. The 5,600-square-foot Huntersville…
Starrdesign, the nationally recognized restaurant architecture & design firm, is growing again.
starrdesign has announced two new hires, Fredwin Molina and David Harrill, June. After a challenging year for the restaurant industry, starrdesign President, Steve Starr, is optimistic about a new golden age for restaurants and is building his team…
[Podcast] The Main Course: How to Build a Holistic Restaurant Concept and Brand
Listen to Steve Starr in The Main Course Podcast with Barbara Castiglia. While the food and beverage portion of a meal is the main focus, restaurateurs also develop other aspects of the business to create a unique experience. Service is one. The…
Foodservice Equipment Reports: Dedicated order pickup areas help separate off-premise and dine-in business.
Steve Starr, chief/president of Starr Design, recommends operators create a dedicated order pickup station. It’s worth the investment. After the pandemic, he says, off-premise orders will make up 20%-30% of business, up from 10%-15% pre-pandemic.…
Love at First Bite: Quick-Service Concept Hiya Taco Powered by Back-of-House Cook-Chill System
Foodservice Equipment Report (FER) highlighted how starrdesign helped create the new fast-casual restaurant design for Hiya Taco just outside of Milwaukee. While most traditional taco concepts use a scoop & serve method to meet speed…
Steve Starr f.e.r. Interview – 7 Key Aspects of the New Kitchen
As we reflect on 2020, we can all agree that this year brought several challenges and required learning new adaptation skills previously unthinkable, especially for the restaurant & foodservice industry. Many focused on the changes required in…