We love hearing about new restaurants and spreading the word! This week, we’re learning all about Birdie’s – a coffee and sandwich joint by day and an oyster bar by night – opening in Common House social club!
Article appeared on RichmondBizSense.com.
Delayed by the pandemic, a restaurant is finally set to land in Common House.
Birdie’s, which will be both a coffee house and seafood joint that specializes in oysters, is expected to open in early November at 305 W. Broad St.
The first floor restaurant will be open to diners who aren’t members of Common House, a Charlottesville-based co-working and social club brand that opened its Richmond outpost in October 2020.
Derek Sieg
“It’s very much its own standalone enterprise and experience,” said Derek Sieg, who co-founded Common House with Ben Pfinsgraff, of Birdie’s.
During the day the space will serve coffee and sandwiches, and during the evening it will operate as an oyster bar. The space will also feature a wine cellar.
“It’s things we love that we wanted here,” Sieg said. “I love coffee, Ben loves wine and we both love oysters and seafood.”
The restaurant plans to have seating for 20 people in its 1,000-square-foot space.
While the finer details of the menu and pricing are still being hashed out, sandwiches are expected to sell for $10 to $15, while seafood entrees are expected to be priced at $15 to $25.
Birdie’s won’t roast its own coffee. Details on its coffee offerings are “forthcoming,” a spokeswoman said.
The restaurant is expected to open with a dedicated staff of 10 people.
A distinct restaurant brand has been in the cards for Common House since it settled on its Richmond location. But the pandemic delayed the restaurant’s opening.
Ben Pfinsgraff
“We wanted to open Birdie’s around the time the club opened but with COVID that wasn’t a viable path forward,” Pfinsgraff said.
Birdie’s is the first and so far only restaurant concept to be paired with a Common House location. The size and location of Common House’s Richmond location, which is 25,000 square feet, spurred conversations about ways to fill out the space.
“It felt like what the neighborhood would really benefit from,” Sieg said. “Common House as an experience is its own thing and it’s not like a small bustling packed bar with a casual experience. It was exciting to think of a new concept.”
In addition to locations in Charlottesville and Richmond, Common House opened a third location in May in Chattanooga. The Richmond location has more than 1,500 members.
Regular membership is $150 a month for an individual. Members who are under 30 or students pay a $75 monthly fee for an individual membership. An out-of-town membership (for people who live an hour or more away and expect to use the space infrequently) is $50 a month for an individual.
Also in the neighborhood, a new small-plates restaurant is taking shape in the former Bistro 27 space.