Counter-Culture: A New Vision of Hospitality at Birdie's
Arjav Ezekiel and Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel maximize margins with a revolutionary concept.
Photo: Eddie Kemper
In hospitality, the words “refined” and “counter service” don’t normally go hand in hand. Visions of servers meticulously setting tables, explaining specials, and keeping glasses filled come to mind, as well as a buttoned-up back-of-house team, keeping their brunoise as tight and consistent as the pleats on their work pants.
Birdie’s, in many ways, shares a lot in common with the other refined restaurants in Austin and across the country: Its hyper-seasonal food program run by Chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel is both dynamic and progressive. And the wine program by Beverage Director Arjav Ezekiel is just as exciting, with a large variety of offerings across the price spectrum, as well as strong non-alcoholic and fortified wine sections (with a spotlight on Madeira). But walk up to the restaurant at about 5:30 PM on any given night, and you’ll instantly see why this Austin upstart could be a landmark shift in the business models of restaurants. People are lined up outside, wine glasses in hand, waiting to order at the counter and carry their order number to their seat.
“We implemented counter service because the traditional model didn’t leave the financial and emotional margin for us as owners to be able to take care of not just our staff, but us and our family as well,” Arjav says. After long careers in fine dining, the duo met working at Untitled at the Whitney in New York City, and both remember “how nice everyone was to each other.” Taking management principles from their time there, the duo set off to Austin in 2018 to build not only the restaurant of their dreams, but “a restaurant that has systems that allow the team to live their lives as balanced as possible,” says Arjav.
Texas Beef Tartare, Smoked Shiitake Mushrooms, Rosemary Aïoli, Texas Pecans, Sonora Wheat Berries, Carta di Musica
Spaghetti, Crème Fraîche, Arugula, Sungold Tomatoes, Sicilian Olive Oil, Lemon
“We had a lot of conversations about ‘the great reset’ we were seeing in restaurants,” he says. “We wanted to build the restaurant that we wanted, and not open with a compromised version.” Over the next six months, they built out what would become Birdie’s: a relatively tight, 1,200-square-foot indoor space with a countertop P.O.S. across from the door, an open kitchen, a handful of tables inside, and a large outdoor space for the majority of their seating. “We’re lucky,” recalls Tracy, “The way we’re zoned, we’re allowed to serve guests alcohol in line. So we started the ‘wine in line.’”
But it’s not just wine that you’ll find in guests' hands in line. Tracy and Arjav circulate laminated sheets of paper detailing what’s different about their concept and business model. From explaining the counter service model, to the benefits they provide their team (thanks to the three-and-a-half percent health and wellness fee), to their pricing and portions, the duo is as upfront about their business model as they possibly can be.
They want their guests to be aware of the programs that they are effectively paying for, and how Tracy and Arjav invest in their employees. “Sustainability is really important, not just with how we source our food and wine, but with how we built and continue to nurture our team,” says Tracy. “It’s important to us that we are closed Sunday and Monday so that our staff can plan their lives around that. We close for two weeks in the summer, and two weeks in the winter so everyone has time to recharge. We offer parental leave, and offer our employees access to the Mike & Sherry Project, which lets our employees see therapists for only ten dollars a session.”
Of course, with running a leaner staff comes more individual responsibility. Tracy and Arjav have high expectations for their team, but the added time off, as well as keeping the menu constantly changing, keeps them and their staff engaged and ready to hit the ground running.
“We just celebrated two years, and we’ve learned to make the line as comfortable as we can: wine in line, benches, swamp coolers and parasols in the summer, heaters in the winter. People will find and make new friends in line, and end up sitting together, and it happens more often than you might think. It’s created this community inside and outside of Birdie’s. These people believe in what we do and why we do it.”
