A Reynoldstown breakfast-and-lunch mainstay is adding a new concept to its space. The Home grown space at 968 Memorial Dr. SE will welcome a new evening concept, Wyld Bird, in mid-February. When it opens, Wyld Bird will take over service at 5:30 p.m., following the conclusion of Home grown’s lunch service.
Thomas Syfan and Tony Seichrist, who opened The Wyld Dock Bar in Savannah in 2015, are behind the forthcoming dinner concept. A longtime Home grown customer, Syfan got to know Home grown owner Kevin Clark over the years.
“Kevin would send us customers from Atlanta,” Syfan told What Now Atlanta. “We would have people come in Savannah and they would say, ‘This guy at this diner in Atlanta told us to come here.’”
When Syfan moved back to Atlanta a couple of years ago, he and Seichrist began to brainstorm their next concept. They began to search for a space to house an evening concept such as Wyld Bird, and they suggested a partnership with Clark. The process was a natural build on a years-long relationship between the restaurateurs.
“I called Kevin and said, ‘Hey Kevin, what if I put a different restaurant in your place at night?’ And he literally goes, ‘OK, yeah, let’s do that,’” Syfan said. “He said he had been wanting to do something like that for years.”
Home grown began ushering in some major changes last year, beginning with Clark and co-owner Lisa Spooner’s purchase of the building that houses Home grown. Clark and Spooner also extended hours of operation and added a new coffee element. At the time, Clark teased a potential dinner addition, as well, setting the stage for Wyld Bird.
At Wyld Bird, customers can expect a chicken-centric menu. The “star of the show” will be the bone-in, skin-on chicken marinated for 24 hours in a spice blend, charcoal grilled and baked with chicken stock, pineapple juice and citrus. Variations of chicken dishes will comprise the menu, ranging from chicken sandwiches to salads, mixed rice bowls and tacos. There will also be Cuban-inspired appetizers such as braised pork cheek on plantain chips and cheesy bread, and there will be dessert such as guava pastries with vanilla ice cream.
The team is currently working through the alcohol licensing process. When they open, Syfan hopes the versatility of the menu will work to people’s benefit, whether they want to grab a quick bite to go or stop in for evening drinks and appetizers.
“I think it’s going to be a great fun vibe and a place where you can get a tasty meal at a very reasonable price,” Syfan said.
