D.C. fast casual restaurant Farmbird, which drew a following for its grilled chicken plates, mac and cheese and roasted vegetables, is permanently closing all of its restaurants.
The announcement comes less than a year after opening its newest location, citing the pandemic.
“We are disheartened to share that after six years of calling D.C. home, all Farmbird locations are closing. Unfortunately, the pandemic’s many challenges simply proved insurmountable to our business,” a post on Farmbird’s Instagram account said.
While the co-owners did not specifically cite reasons, one could be rising food costs. Farmbird prided itself on its fresh, never frozen chickens sourced from regional farms. Wholesale poultry prices have soared in the last year. The USDA’s 2022 Food Price Outlook forecasts those costs will continue to rise this year.
Farmbird’s original location opened on H Street NE in 2017. After raising $1 million from investors for expansion, it opened a second location in Penn Quarter, and most recently a third location in Ballston last summer.
Co-founders Andrew Harris and Daniel Koslow, New York City transplants, came up with their business plan after eating what they called too many mediocre chicken lunches at their desk jobs.
Farmbird’s menu was popular. In 2020, Farmbird ranked No. 3 on Yelp’s list of America’s Top 100 Places to Eat, with an average five-star rating.
