The truck formerly known as Yardbird & Co. has a new name: Craftbird.
Little else has changed at the food truck that first hit the streets in the spring of 2016. It’s still owned and operated by Eric Stagl and Mallary Kohlmeyer. Its black-and-yellow color scheme remains, with a slightly modified logo. The menu still features signature items like fried chicken sandwiches with kimchi and sriracha honey, steamed buns and side dishes with fresh farm vegetables.
Kohlmeyer said the name change was prompted by a legal concern. Earlier this year, the business partners were contacted by attorneys from a restaurant group with the same name, in another part of the country.
“We were asked — with a strong hand — to change it,” she says.
Rather than fight an “uphill battle,” she says, they decided to pick a new name for the truck, hoping the business’s recognition and loyal following would continue with a new brand.
The next step was to select a name that accurately reflected their mission, the partners said. When Kohlmeyer and Stagl couldn’t decide on a final choice, they took to social media, asking followers to vote in a poll. “Craftbird” won out over other suggestions like “HartBird” and “YBird.”
“We wanted to know what people thought would be the best representation of the product that we’re producing and the service that we’re giving,” Kohlmeyer says. “Craftbird” spoke to the truck’s scratch-cooking mentality.
Kohlmeyer and Stagl had the truck’s exterior redesigned in late October, replacing the “Yardbird” logo with the new name. The truck’s social media handles have also taken the new brand, and merchandise items, like T-shirts, now reflect the Craftbird moniker.
“What remained the most important was the quality of our service and our product,” Kohlmeyer says. “Eric is still making fantastic food. That never stopped. We appreciate that people stuck with us and followed us over to the new name.”
Craftbird Food Truck plans regular stops at Hartford-area sites like State House Square, Bushnell Park and assorted central Connecticut breweries. The truck is now accepting text orders during its stops, at 860-956-3100.
Follow the truck’s schedule on Facebook and Instagram at @CraftbirdFoodTruck and on Twitter and Snapchat at @CraftbirdFT. craftbirdfoodtruck.com.
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