The Early Bird is ready to spread its wings this fall under new owners.
“We are thrilled to share that we have found the perfect buyers to carry on the Early Bird tradition! Thanks to our amazing community, this little café has grown into something truly special—and we couldn’t be more excited for its next and even better chapter,” the previous owners shared via Facebook.
Josh Evans and Chris Donnelly of Common Grounds will take over The Early Bird’s Riverton location at 519 Howard St.
“My partner and I took over Commons Grounds a little over two years ago and this past year we started integrating more breakfast items with the help of one of our baristas,” Evans told What Now Philadelphia. “As we were doing that and figuring out what was next for Common Grounds, we thought it would be a good idea to jump into something different. We saw that The Early Bird was available, so we decided to move forward with that.”
The duo plans to bring favorites from Common Grounds into The Early Bird, including more espresso-based drinks and their popular coffee flights, perfect for pairing with breakfast.
Guests can build four-drink coffee flights to pair with a baked good, choosing from iced espresso drinks, teas, matcha and chai. Flavors include blueberry, caramel, hazelnut, lavender, milk mocha, peanut butter, raspberry, simple syrup, toasted marshmallow, vanilla and white mocha. Seasonal flavors, milk alternatives and sugar-free syrups are also available, with whipped cream on lattes and cold foam on cold brews.
“We are going to make some changes,” Evans said. “We’ll keep the name, but do a little rebrand and we are going to make some changes to the interior.
The coffee enthusiast said he’s excited to meet and connect with the Riverton locals.
“We’re really excited to get to know the community and really be a part of it,” Evans said. “Just the few weeks that we’ve been spending over there and the times we’ve gone through this process with the current owners–the community there seems to be really supportive and it is a really nice town.”
Evans said The Early Bird will officially change hands on Monday, September 29, with a grand reopening set for Friday, October 3. For the latest updates, check the cafe’s website and follow them on Instagram.
