Fried chicken never goes out of style. The classic and reinvented flavors all enjoy similar fanfare. It comes as no surprise then, that restaurants should offer an entire menu starring breaded poultry.

Enter Starbird, a new, healthier version of Chick-Fil-A with in-app ordering and curbside pickup options in Sunnyvale. Founded by restaurant industry consultants from The Culinary Edge Ventures, one of whom is also the founder of the Pacific Catch brand, Starbird aims to reinvent the fast food genre.

While I doubt diners notice or care about the nuances between fast casual, super premium fast food, or fast fine dining—all terms I’ve heard from restaurant owners—customers do seem to care about getting healthy food quickly. Starbird gets this right. They achieve speed by preparing chicken from Petaluma Farms in only two ways, grilled or fried, minimizing the food prep to just assembly of sandwiches, salads and tacos. This process of minimizing differentiation in assembly paired with a food ordering app contributes to the kitchen’s quick turnaround. The app allows users to order and pay, then pick up curbside or in stores. They probably anticipate a high utilization of the app, which could account for the small parking lot.

The blend of rice flour breading, house baked rolls and globally influenced flavors results in many winning dishes. My favorites from the preview dinner included the classic Starbird sandwich ($5.95), Señor Baja taco ($3.50) and chicken tenders ($8.75 for 3). The chicken is crispy and moist inside, not oily or overly salty. A variety of housemade sauces and pickled condiments dress the various dishes. The Super Slaw ($2.50), which can be ordered as a side and is also in the sandwiches, is a salad featuring my favorite: leafy green kale. The entrée salads ($8.95) are remarkably large and filling. The chicken can always be grilled rather than fried in any of these dishes for a healthier alternative. For vegetarians, the protein can be replaced with Hodo Soy tofu. And of course, no fast food meal is complete without an indulgent ice cream treat like the house made drumstick with San Francisco’s own Three Twins vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate and coated with nuts.

Of all the apps I have on my phone, I’m not sure I would download Starbird’s, but I would definitely eat in-store again. The clean and simple décor is branded and ready for replication in other Bay Area cities, starting with Foster City.

Starbird
1241 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale.
American
$
starbirdchicken.com.