Welcome to Tri-Cities Central, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting local happenings in Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, and surrounding communities.
Get yours: subscribe here. Refer a friend: share this link.
A fast-casual chain built around scratch-made chicken tenders is opening its first Midwest restaurant on Monday, Oct. 19, at 845 S. Randall Road in St. Charles.
According to the Daily Herald, Starbird is marking the occasion with free food for early arrivals and a week of fundraising for two local high schools.
Here’s what to know:
Free food for early birds: Doors open for the grand opening at 10:30AM, and the first 100 guests get a free menu item. Starbird will also pick a winner every hour for free Starbird for a full year.
A crosstown showdown: From Oct. 19-25, Starbird will give 20% of qualifying sales to St. Charles East and Geneva high schools. Whichever school comes out ahead in the friendly competition gets an extra $1,000.
Tenders and more: Starbird describes its signature crispy chicken as fresh, never frozen, and antibiotic-free, hand-breaded in a gluten-free flour blend and fried in rice bran oil. The menu also includes salads, wraps, bowls, wings, and breakfast, plus nine house-made dipping sauces.
California roots: Starbird launched in San Francisco in 2016 and now has locations across California, plus two in Colorado and one in Seattle.
St. Charles may not be the only Starbird in the area for long. The chain signed a deal in 2025 with a franchise operator to bring five restaurants to the Chicago region.
📖 Thanks for reading
Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.
Not signed up yet? Subscribe here.