The fast-food brand headquartered in Texas, Urban Bird Hot Chicken, stated that the company made significant progress in restaurant expansion, franchise development, and operational infrastructure by the end of the third quarter of 2026. The brand is known for its freshly prepared halal spicy fried chicken.

Urban Bird CEO Stephen O said, "'Connor represents an exciting phase of growth and organizational development for Urban Bird in the third quarter. While we continue to expand our restaurant presence in Texas, we are also investing in the infrastructure necessary to support a larger organization. This stage is particularly important because we are not just increasing the number of stores; we are transforming our business from a successful regional dining concept into an scalable franchise platform managed by a professional team.'"

The company continued to expand its own store network this quarter, opening new stores in the NRG Stadium shopping district of Houston and the Potranco area of San Antonio.

Meanwhile, Urban Bird continues to strengthen its presence in Austin, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio, and plans to open more stores in the Houston Montrose community as well as in the The Rim / La Cantera areas of San Antonio.

In terms of franchise development, Urban Bird signed two important agreements in the third quarter: one is a three-store development agreement in Wichita, Kansas, and the other is a two-store franchise development agreement in the Greater Houston area. The company also plans to open a restaurant at Memorial City Mall in Houston.

O' Connor said, "The third quarter is an important milestone as Urban Bird begins to transform its franchise development pipeline into formal franchise partnerships. These partnerships represent the first crucial step in our expansion beyond our own-operated stores. What is equally encouraging is the high quality of potential franchise partners that have joined our pipeline. We have attracted experienced food service operators and business professionals who see the potential of the brand and are interested in developing multiple stores. Our philosophy is simple: the quality of franchise partners is more important than the speed of signing agreements."

In addition to the visible progress brought about by new stores and franchise agreements, Urban Bird is also working behind the scenes on several important initiatives, launching new systems to enhance store performance, leadership development, and brand consistency.

One of the most important initiatives is the development of Urban Bird University ( UBU ). This is a structured management and leadership education platform, equipped with a rolling 12-month curriculum system. The company has also introduced a more comprehensive brand standard review process and established stricter store evaluation and audit procedures to strengthen accountability, food quality, and customer experience throughout the system.

To support the continuously expanding development pipeline, the company is standardizing the process for opening new stores, which includes planning, staffing, training, and certification. The plan also involves establishing a dedicated Elite New Store Opening Training Team team, aimed at ensuring that new stores open to consistent operational standards.

Other improvements include expanding management training programs, competency-based certification, a planned annual re-certification for general managers, and a more comprehensive performance management system. Enhanced financial reporting, as well as budgeting and operational scorecards at the store level, also enable frontline management to have a clearer understanding of store performance.

O' Connor indicates: "This is actually one of the most important areas of progress. We have launched a comprehensive plan to strengthen the company's operational and leadership infrastructure. These projects represent a deliberate investment in our employees and operational systems."

For Urban Bird, these investments reflect the broader philosophy that the brand has adhered to since its inception. Rather than rapidly expanding through franchising before the business model has been fully validated, Gawthorp and Fiaschetti chose to invest their own funds first to develop nearly 30 directly-operated stores. This has allowed the company to continuously refine its operational processes, site selection strategies, and store economic models in different markets.

O' Connor said, "We believe that sustainable growth in the catering industry depends on building organizational capabilities before expanding, rather than trying to catch up after growth has already occurred. The brand has currently accumulated considerable momentum, and we are responding to this momentum with the same enthusiasm and operational discipline."

The brand plans to continue opening its own stores in certain markets in Texas, while also seeking franchise development opportunities with qualified multi-store operators. Regions of interest currently include Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, as well as more markets in Texas. The company has also begun to explore international expansion opportunities.

O' Connor states: "Our long-term goal is to turn Urban Bird into a nationally renowned brand with certain influence internationally. However, we don't view growth simply as a competition to open more stores. Our aim is to build a company that can expand successfully while maintaining food quality, customer experience, store profitability, and brand integrity. In the end, our goal is not just to become a larger food and beverage company, but to become a better one, and to have the capability to grow even further."

About Urban Bird Hot Chicken

Urban Bird Hot Chicken is a fast-food chain brand headquartered in Houston, founded by experienced multi-unit operators Brandon Gawthorp and Chantel Fiaschetti. The brand is known for its freshly prepared halal spicy fried chicken, featuring high-quality halal chicken that is marinated for 24 to 48 hours, homemade sauces, and fresh side dishes. The menu design is also tailored to suit takeout and delivery scenarios.

Since its launch in 2020, Urban Bird has expanded to over 28 own-operated restaurants and virtual concept stores, many of which are located in second-generation spaces. This helps to optimize real estate efficiency, simplify labor models, and maintain strong cost control without compromising on food quality and consistency.

With a mature operational model, good economic efficiency per store, and vast growth potential beyond Dezhou, Urban Bird is currently continuing to expand through franchising in a disciplined and scalable manner, focusing on covering both traditional restaurants and virtual restaurants to achieve sustainable development. For more information, please visit urbanbirdfranchise.com.

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