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Mike Lindsey and Kimberly Love-Lindsey (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Lindsey Food Group plans to take over the former Crown Room space. (Photo by Justin Chesney)
With a multitude of restaurants under their belt in the past few years, you’d think that spouses and founders of Lindsey Food Group Mike Lindsey and Kimberly Love-Lindsey would be more than occupied with their growing portfolio of concepts, but surprisingly, it’s catering and events that has been keeping them on their toes.
“A lot of what we do, especially with catering and events, I don’t have an event manager, so I catch everything right now,” Love-Lindsey says. “I put zero effort into it, and it just comes to me.”
Chef Lindsey echoes, “People kept hitting us up, and I was like, ‘Kim, we can do this at our own space,’” he says.
And they plan to do just that. In the coming weeks, the pair will introduce Red Bird Social, a 5,400-square-foot event space downtown destined for everything from private celebrations to pop-ups. Located at 100 N. Sixth St., the forthcoming project will take over the shuttered Crown Room, an event space formerly operated by the owners of adjacent indoor mini golf course and bar Hotel Greene.
Initially using the Grace Street outpost of their fried chicken concept, Buttermilk and Honey, to host dinners and other private events, the couple say that as traffic picked up at the restaurant, they realized that continuing to lean on the space was no longer sustainable.
“It was getting to the point where Buttermilk was really busy, and it’s hard for us to close [that space] on a Friday or Saturday night for events,” Love-Lindsey explains.
Not wanting to turn away eager clients or interrupt the flow of their other restaurants, they began the real estate search. Little did they know, it wouldn’t take long, and they wouldn't have to look far. When broker Nathan Hughes of Sperity Ventures called about a turnkey space located at the former Hotel John Marshall building mere blocks from Buttermilk and Honey, the decision was easy.
“This event space came to us and was really a no-brainer,” Love-Lindsey says. “To be able to have a space that is already set up with a full kitchen and a full bar, and to just think about the energy and sales we could do if we actually had somebody in charge of it and was building it and putting in some effort. We already know we have a great event base; it wasn’t a risk for us, it’s just all about building up from here on out.”
With a maximum occupancy of 200 guests, the two-level space includes a stage for live music or a DJ, and the duo note Red Bird’s vast potential for events, such as a dinner series showcasing Lindsey Food Group chefs, holiday parties, wedding receptions, comedy nights and more.
“This space is built to do so many different things,” Lindsey says. “We could do a bistro during lunch hours, have a lounge on Friday and Saturday nights that’s open until 2 a.m.; there’s so many options. Honestly, the sky is the limit, we can do some of anything in there because the space is built for that.”
That same mutability extends to the menu. Concepts under Lindsey Food Group include West African- and Southern-influenced Lillie Pearl; Manchester’s diner-meets-fine-dining Jubilee; multilocation fried chicken eatery Buttermilk and Honey with outposts in Short Pump, on Grace Street and at Hatch Local food hall; Broad Street’s ML Steak; and the newly debuted, VCU-themed Rams House. All of which means that on the culinary side, anything from Nashville fried chicken sandwiches to lobster shrimp and grits, Carolina-style barbecue, or pizza could make an appearance.
“What’s great about what we can offer is that it’s not just one menu style. The guests can pick from what they want, if it’s Buttermilk, ML Steak, Jubilee, Lillie Pearl, barbecue — it’s great because there’s so much variety,” Love-Lindsey says.
The space is named for the cardinal, the state bird of Virginia and of Lindsey’s home state, North Carolina.
“I’m from the country,” Lindsey says, “so a lot of people call it ‘red bird’ instead of a cardinal. And the ‘social’ is just that idea that the space is for everything, for everybody.”
The couple plan to invite event and wedding planners into the space to gather ideas of what would make for an ideal reception or event venue. “We just need it, need it for the business,” Lindsey says. “It gives us an opportunity to maximize something that is already coming to us. You know we’re always pushing.”
