By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
A construction permit is now issued for a Starbird franchise in the Alaska Junction, which is likely to be among the first to open in Washington state. The franchisee, Oregon-based Mehta Investment Group, secured the former location of MOD Pizza in the Whittaker development (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW) over the winter and then turned around a permit in a little more than 2 months. The other fried-chicken franchise slated for the Junction, Dave’s Hot Chicken, is still in the midst of permitting for their location at 4706 California Avenue SW in the former Haymaker space, where they are still expecting to open in mid-2026.
Starbird is primarily in California, where it’s grown to 17 locations over recent years with what its founder calls “high-quality, chef-driven fast food.” In addition to a different caliber of food, it also runs a little differently, with orders placed via their app or in-store kiosks, though it’s still possible to order from staff in their restaurants. Starbird had a lot of visibility recently with its locations in both San Francisco International Airport and Levi’s Stadium during the Super Bowl. For those boggled by all of the fried chicken options, Starbird differentiates itself with chicken that is never frozen and NAE (no antibiotics ever), and a menu that includes everything from chicken tenders to salads and sandwiches, fries and churros and so many sauces, plus fried veggie options made with Gardenbird plant-based protein.
When the franchise agreement was made with the Mehta group, it happened as franchise agreements were happening in other states, including Colorado, Illinois and Utah. A Denver location was the first to open outside of California in late 2025. The plan for Washington state, when announced in late 2024, was to start opening locations in 2025—a total of 15 in Seattle and 2 in Spokane planned in the coming years, but none so far. The Whittaker location is a little over 2500sf, and the city permit notes the intended installation of a new grease hood exhaust system. A sign permit has also been issued for two illuminated signs, one wall-mounted and one blade sign. Mehta Investment Group was founded by Vin Mehta and is family-run, with a mix of restaurants, hotels and apartments, including every Jack in the Box in Oregon.