Thunderbird will always have a special place in my heart. “A lot of the people there knew my name, and they knew my order.” “I liked going there during rehearsals because I went there with all my theatre friends, and since we exercised all day we didn’t feel bad about ordering the more unhealthy stuff,” she said. She will miss her mid-rehearsal pick-me-ups. She regularly participates in the school musicals and Thunderbird was always her go-to spot when she was on break. Rising junior Lucy Nichols was on a first name basis with several baristas who worked there. Many McCallum students have gotten to know the people pouring their coffee. He is not the only one who values the staff. business and function more like a normal coffee shop,” he said. “Closing down Tbird Koenig will allow us to make Tbird Manor a 7 a.m.-7 p.m. He thinks this will be a good thing in the long run. They will be working at the Manor Road location. Luckily, McElroy was able to keep everyone on board. business and function more like a normal coffee shop,” he said ( Evelyn Griffin).Īn important part of this transition was taking care of the Thunderbird staff. He thinks this shift in resources will be a good thing in the long run. “That feels exciting.” The Koenig Thunderbird Coffee location may be closing, but the Thunderbird staff will all keep their jobs because owner Ryan McElroy is expanding the hours and staff at the Manor Road location. “It’s an opportunity to bring something fresh and new to the world, while so much of all our lives is standing still,” he said. And while the menu may be pared down, McElroy claims he and Batch will carry over some tried-and-true items and also incorporate “a 2020 freshness.” Thankfully, when Bird Bird opens there will be a Thunderbird Coffee trailer next to the building, so patrons won’t have to make the perilous trek to Cherrywood for long. “But we’ve also learned a lot, and it’s exciting to use what we’ve learned to start a new chapter. “We have a lot of memories connected to our time building Thunderbird on Koenig,” he said. It has been in the works since May when he realized how much the pandemic would affect his business. Bird Bird has continued to grow in spite of COVID-19, implementing online ordering and a pick-up window to keep customers safe, so this transition seemed like the right thing for him to do. There is already a location on Manor Road, just a few blocks away from the second Thunderbird coffee shop. McElroy co-owns this business with ex-Thunderbird barista-turned-general manager and long-time friend Brian Batch. In early 2021, the space will reopen as Bird Bird Biscuit, a restaurant serving up golden buttermilk biscuits for breakfast and lunch. Ryan McElroy, owner of the beloved coffee shop, looks forward to transforming the space into something new. It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that as of today, Thunderbird Coffee on Koenig Lane will be temporarily closing after almost 14 years of business. For months now, we have all been reading stories about local companies going out of business due to the economic effects of COVID-19, but much of the McCallum community had not directly felt the true impact until recently.
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