A new Charlotte spot is already known as the ‘best pizza in town’. What’s next for Bird?
Since Bird Pizzeria opened in Charlotte’s Optimist Park neighborhood in December 2021, co-owners Kerrel and Nkem Thompson have been deliberately working toward what they want the space to be. It’s a pizza shop, certainly, but it’s more than that. The duo wants the shop to reflect how their live their lives — and to encourage others to slow down and enjoy their lives, too.
Things have been going well for the little spot with a walk-up window on East 15th Street, but every up has its down. Such is life.
“Just because you’re experiencing joy doesn’t mean that it’s easy,” Nkem said.
But despite new-restaurant-growing pains, the couple is forging ahead with their mission in mind.
In a city where fast-casual dining is so prominent, “we want to bring people in and have them take a second and see us. See this neighborhood,” Kerrel said.
The brand is growing into its own, and as the business continues to settle into the 15th Street space, the pizza changes and evolves, too.
Diners love what they’re seeing (and tasting). One diner said Bird has the “best pizza in town,” while another said it “lives up to the hype.”
The duo has been honing in on everything from how they use the space to how they process the dough.
“Up until the last maybe six weeks, it’s been like a test run,” Kerrel said of the business.
Case in point: Kerrel used to make every slab of dough by hand. Now, Bird has its “first employee — a spiral mixer.” Adding the piece of machinery and gaining more expertise about how long to let the dough sit before shaping or what temperature to handle it at has made the pizza better over time, Kerrel said.
(Oh, and they’re hiring actual employees, too, just so you know.)
What’s next for Bird
Bird will continue to serve its East Coast-style whole pies, cooked in an electric oven, and salad at dinner, which you can order at the walk-up window or online — but expansion is ahead.
The current pies are:
Plain pie ($20) with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil
Pepperoni pie ($23) with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, basil
White pie ($22) with fresh mozzarella, ricotta butter garlic, olive oil, basil
After Easter, the owners plan to expand the menu to include “everyday life-applicable meals,” Kerrel said. The new dishes will be veggie-heavy and will reflect types of fare you might find in the Thompson kitchen.
Expect “small, plated, beautiful vegetable dishes” — light fare the duo wants to offer to break Bird out of the stereotypical pizza shop mold (no garlic knots or calzones here). The veggie plates will consist of all organic, locally sourced produce.
The small plates will be offered at lunch alongside slices — no full pies. Lunch service is coming soon.
Diners can also expect Bird to offer beer and wine soon. The wine program will be small but hand-picked, consisting of about three bottles for diners to choose from. And there will be one or two beers offered, with one of them created in partnership with a local brewery.
Bird Pizzeria
Location: 510 E. 15th Street, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28206
Neighborhood: Optimist Park
Cuisine: Pizza
Instagram: @birdpizzeria
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 6:00 AM.