Sundaybird, a Rotisserie Chicken Shop, to Open in Lakewood

Just 18 months after opening Birdietown in Lakewood, Tim and Erin Frazee are shifting into expansion mode. They recently announced that they are the new owners of Forest City Shuffleboard (4506 Lorain Ave.), which opened in Ohio City in 2017. And come late summer, they will introduce Sundaybird, a fast-casual rotisserie chicken concept poised for big things.

“We lived in Florida 10 years ago and there was this fast-casual rotisserie chicken spot and I loved it,” says Tim. “I would go there for lunch and thought how great of a concept it was.”

After dining at Edacious in Avon Lake, Frazee and chef-owner Andrew Gorski started talking. Almost immediately, they both expressed a fondness for and a desire to launch a rotisserie chicken restaurant. The newfound partners made R & D trips to Florida to sample the food and to California to explore the cooking equipment.

“We both believe that with the way people are eating these days, with how much spare time they have, and what’s been going on with food costs, it’s a great idea,” Gorski explains. “Look at Boston Market back in the day. That’s essentially what it is: good birds roasted on a spit right in front of you. It’s a blue-collar concept. There’s no smoke and mirrors.”

Location number one is already taking shape in Lakewood (15027 Madison Ave,) in the 1,200-square-foot space that had been home to Pachamama Kitchen. Upon crossing the threshold, guests will see the birds spinning and roasting in a glass-fronted, gas-fueled rotisserie capable of cooking 48 chickens at a time.

“It’s the star of the show,” Frazee says of the cooking apparatus.

The chickens will be brined, seasoned, roasted and sold as quarter, half and whole birds. As they cook, their drippings fall onto a bed of redskin potatoes that will serve as one a half dozen sides. There will also be mac and cheese, collard greens and housemade Parker House rolls.

Sundaybird will be dine-in and carry-out. There will be a few beers on tap, draft cocktails and other beverages.

The Frazees recently brought in Rachelle Murphy, formerly of Rood in Lakewood, to oversee the food at Birdietown. Now, with Gorski on the culinary team as well, the budding hospitality group is ready to take its next steps.

“The combined talents of the two of them will oversee all of this,” says Frazee. “We’re trying to build a team so we can take on more stuff. The idea is to expand the rotisserie concept. It’s the thing I’m most excited about.”