Bircall co-owners Jean-Phillipe Failyau and Peter Newlin had already announced that an outpost of their quick-service concept is being built in a former Twister's Burgers & Burritos at 1535 East Evans Avenue, but it looks like the Whole Foods location will come in first.
Newlin was a speaker at the first day of Denver Startup Week, where he talked about the importance of technology in new restaurants, the difficulty of hiring contractors in the construction-crazy Denver market, and the new Whole Foods location, which he says will be a complete restaurant on its own (rather than a counter-service kiosk like the Biju's Little Curry Shop operations at Whole Foods in Boulder and at Tamarac in South Denver), complete with approximately 100 seats inside and out, a bar with two dozen local beers on tap, and its own outdoor signs as part of the "Friends of Whole Foods Market" concept. Because of the arrangement, this will also be the first Whole Foods grocery store in Colorado that will sell beer and wine to customers inside the store.

Birdcall's Peter Newlin (right) talks about lessons learned in the restaurant business with Rioja co-founder Beth Gruitch (second from left) and Frasca co-founder Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson (second from right) at Denver Startup Week.
Mark Antonation
Considering the recent purchase of Whole Foods by Amazon, the use of technology in food service seems appropriate. Could Amazon drone delivery of chicken sandwiches be far away?
Birdcall expects to open downtown in mid-November, also serving burgers, salads, chicken fingers and milkshakes, with the East Evans branch scheduled before year-end, as well.