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Suppose a legendary restaurant group wants to join the buzz surrounding the fried chicken sandwich trend. What respected celebrity chef could sweeten the appeal of a new fast-casual eatery in Washington, D.C.? Local Carla Hall is the perfect choice.
“We have been talking about doing something for a couple of years. This is the first time the Mendelsohn family has brought someone in from outside of their family,” says the adored culinary TV host and judge.
Bumblebirds is a Southern-fried chicken and cocktail bar on Capitol Hill, located on the same street where the Sunnyside Restaurant Group owns and operates two other establishments: Santa Rosa Taqueria and We, The Pizza.
Sunnyside’s CEO shares why the Mendelsohn family chose Chef Hall for a licensing partnership. “We started talking a couple of years ago, and we were just waiting for the right opportunity. She is the most lovely, easiest, sunniest person I’ve ever known. It was so easy, not even a decision,” says Micheline Mendelsohn.
Bumblebirds Glides into Fried Chicken Sandwich Craze
The Sunshine Group first decided to change the Good Stuff Eatery concept that chef Spike Mendelsohn had run successfully for 18 years. It was known for its top-notch burgers, but the family that owns 14 restaurants recognizes the American public’s craving for exciting fried chicken sandwiches.
“As I get older, I just can’t have celebration food all the time. As chefs, we were talking about how people are eating less beef, and we thought we’re sort of with the trend of what people are eating right now,” suggests Chef Hall.
CEO Mendelsohn agrees. “I think they are a continuing trend because for a lot of people the pricing of meat is heavy, and now people aren’t eating red meat as much.”
A Forbes April 2025 report on the chicken sandwich wars discusses the parade of quick-service restaurants trying to grab a piece of the $40 billion U.S. market for chicken food service. In 2019, a Popeyes ad campaign triggered a battle for glory, taking on Chick-fil-A’s dominance in the fried chicken sandwich kingdom.
“The chicken sandwich wars are not just about flavor; they’re about staying relevant. In an era where TikTok trends can dictate quarterly sales, the ability of a QSR brand to capture public attention, innovate, and move quickly is key. Limited-time offers (LTOs), regional spins, and celebrity partnerships have become standard marketing plays,” states the Forbes article.
Still growing lists of fast-food and fast-casual eateries now compete for the attention of fried chicken sandwich lovers. Bumblebirds counts on standing out with a celebrity chef’s vision of what a warm, inviting chicken place should be – a love letter to the South.
“We’re really leaning into the Southern style, not just Nashville hot chicken,” says Hall. “Not only the cool, homemade slaws with homemade sauces, but also raw vegetables.”
The Top Chef alum and Food Network judge describes how inspiration from her upbringing livens up bumblebird’s offerings with fresh ingredients and made-in-house condiments. “When I think about my grandmother, I think about how many vegetables we ate as kids. She had a garden. I think the concept is fried chicken, beautiful slaws and creamy dressings. It’s like chicken and friends, truly.”
Bumblebirds Serves Signature Chicken and Cocktails
Chef Hall and Sunnyside Restaurant Group’s chief operating officer, Cathy Mendelsohn (Micheline’s mom), collaborated on the menu for what the restaurateurs call a pop-in. They were going for a joyful and welcoming space that invites diners to join in the fun, much like Hall’s personality.
Sunnyside’s CEO expresses the concept in a news release on bumblebirds. “Carla is one of those rare talents who brings heart to everything she touches—food, design, people, the whole experience,” says Micheline. “Capitol Hill is ready for something playful and bold, and bumblebirds lets us introduce a new kind of fast-casual energy while staying true to what we do best: quality, hospitality, and a real sense of place.”
The menu gives diners a choice of grilled or fried chicken sandwich with unique slaws and sauces, served on brioche buns or biscuits. The OG Bumble is crispy fried chicken with black pepper ranch slaw, Havarti cheese and pickles. There is also a fried chicken sandwich with celery leaf slaw, blue cheese and spicy buffalo sauce.
One of the grilled chicken sandwiches comes with mango, fennel and scotch bonnet pepper island slaw. Another special offering is the “front porch board” with biscuits, pimento cheese and country ham. Chicken nuggets, tenders and a vegetarian mushroom are also options. The housemade sides include kettle chips or fries. For dessert, diners can order donuts, lemon bars or blueberry shortcake.
The Southern comfort concept extends to the cocktails created by talented mixologist Andra “AJ” Johnson. She was on hand at the March 9 VIP Media Preview, making five of the seven cocktails she concocted for the menu. “It’s Southern as a culture, and from there it was what we wanted to represent, says Johnson. “We wanted cocktails to be simple, delicious, food-conscious and balanced, but also have a little Southern flair.”
Johnson formulated new renditions of some popular drinks, using gin, bourbon, tequila and vodka for The bumblebird, Society Punch, Elderflower Julep, Classic Margarita and Peachtree Tea. “A fried chicken sandwich is a fried chicken sandwich, but once you pop a Carla Hall twist on it, it becomes something completely different. The same thing with the cocktails. Once you pop an AJ twist on it, it’s something completely different,” Johnson says.
The bumblebirds’ name represents another aspect of the restaurant’s ingenuity, combining admiration for birds and bumble bees. The cocktails, iced tea and lemonade served are sweetened with specialty syrups. “We’re very involved with sustainability with the bees, and so most of our syrups for our cocktails, our lemonade and our iced tea bar are all made in-house with different infused honey,” adds Sunnyside’s CEO.
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Bumblebirds Promotes Community and Artistry
For Chef Hall, bumble bees symbolize the community spirit she and the Mendelsohns want the restaurant to embody in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. They envision it as a hip spot for meeting co-workers or friends, grabbing a chicken sandwich and a beverage, or just hanging out in the upstairs dining room, where a smile-inducing piece of artwork is displayed.
“It’s a circle quilt, where you have circular pieces of cloth. My grandmother gave me hers, and it was lost for 20 years. I thought somebody had stolen it and I was just distraught,” recalls Hall.
The yo-yo quilts became popular in America between the 1920s and 1940s. They were made up of round pieces of cloth resembling rosettes sewn together into quilts. Hall started working on her yo-yo during the pandemic to replace her grandmother’s quilt. The array of circular shapes and textures evokes a blooming garden of colorful flowers.
“I call it paper quilting, but it is more like origami. After I made it, I found my grandmother’s quilt. It was almost like she was gifting me with this idea. So, I have continued the practice of doing my paper quilts. Upstairs are the yo-yos for granny,” adds Hall.
Bumblebirds is the first public space to exhibit the chef’s paper quilting. The artwork celebrates enduring relationships, much like the friendship that grew between Carla and Micheline when the chef and the Sunnyside executive’s brother competed on Top Chef a year apart. Cathy, Harvey, Spike and Micheline Mendelsohn invited Hall to a Top Chef viewing party at the Good Stuff Eatery, which is now the new bumblebirds restaurant and bar.
“I feel like we came into it with this incredible amount of trust in each other, and it has grown. It has happened organically, and it feels really good,” says Chef Hall. It is a full-circle moment for the best-selling author who walked away from her fried chicken restaurant in Brooklyn almost ten years ago, feeling disappointed with the restaurant business.
Hall and the Mendelsohns are optimistic that their bumblebirds partnership will thrive in D.C. and prove to be a winning concept. “We officially open on Monday, March 16, at 11 a.m. We are hoping greatly that there will be more than one bumblebirds location across the United States,” says Micheline, the restaurant group’s CEO.
