Rare Birds - Collaboration Dining Series

Client:Birds Fried Chicken
Locations: Glasgow & Edinburgh
Services: Concept creation, brand identity, PR, partnerships, influencer strategy, launch marketing

The Brief

After the successful launch of Birds Fried Chicken, the team were ready to push their brand into new cultural territory - taking their signature Southern-style fried chicken out of its Glasgow Southside home and into unexpected culinary settings.

SALAD was appointed to create a new brand world and event concept that would spotlight Birds’ creativity while forging meaningful collaborations with some of the UK’s most exciting kitchens.

The ambition:

- Create a dining series that feels unique, elevated and culturally relevant,

- Mix high and low, fine and familiar,

- Generate PR buzz and build brand equity,

- Deliver one-night-only events that feel genuinely unmissable.

The result was Rare Birds - a SALAD-developed collaboration series designed to fly.

Our Role

SALAD led the creation, launch and ongoing marketing of Rare Birds, shaping its identity, storytelling and rollout across the first two sell-out events.

Our work included:

- Concept creation & naming: developing the Rare Birds identity as a playful but premium extension of the Birds brand.

- Brand narrative & messaging: articulating the high/low, unmissable ethos.

- PR strategy & media relations: delivering high-impact coverage regionally and nationally.

- Brand partnerships: sourcing and managing aligned drink and hospitality partners.

- Influencer outreach & VIP hosting: curating a guest list that married reach with strong culinary credibility.

- Social strategy: shaping the visual and editorial cadence of the series.

- Event support: promotion, guest comms, scheduling and amplification.

Across every touchpoint, the aim was to build Rare Birds into a cultural moment - not just a dinner.

The Experience

1. Rare Birds x Corner Shop - Glasgow

The debut event took place at Corner Shop, one of Glasgow’s most acclaimed new openings. Birds’ cult fried chicken met Corner Shop’s ingredient-led cooking in an intimate, stylish setting, anchored around the theme Fried Chicken Meets Caviar.

Guests enjoyed a menu that blended luxurious details with Birds’ signature comfort, including dishes topped with Yarra Valley caviar and seasonal produce - a perfect expression of the series’ high–low ethos.

The response was immediate: critical acclaim, a fully booked service, and strong press coverage positioning Rare Birds as a bold new culinary concept in the city.

2. Rare Birds x Ardfern - Edinburgh

Following sell-out success in Glasgow, Rare Birds travelled east for a collaboration with Ardfern - the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant led by celebrated Scottish chef Roberta Hall-McCarron.

The one-night-only takeover brought Birds’ playful, indulgent style into Ardfern’s refined and award winning kitchen - serving an elevated menu that blended comfort and craftsmanship.

Dishes included guinea fowl skewers, stuffed wings, a standout chicken burger with Iberico XO, and a tiramisu finale.

The partnership marked Birds’ first major Edinburgh moment and underscored the versatility of the Rare Birds format - capable of landing in neighbourhood kitchens and award-winning restaurants alike.

The Result

Rare Birds launched with real momentum, quickly establishing itself as a new fixture in Scotland’s dining landscape.

Across the first two events:

- Both dinners sold out within hours

- Strong press coverage across food, lifestyle and regional titles

- High-impact social content from guests, chefs and creators

- Elevated brand visibility for Birds beyond Glasgow

- Growing audience demand for future collaborations

The series also reinforced Birds Fried Chicken as a brand with range - equally at home in casual, neighbourhood spaces as in some of Scotland’s most respected dining rooms.

Why It Mattered

Rare Birds is more than a collaboration series - it’s a platform for culture, creativity and unexpected culinary moments.

For Birds, it has become a way to:

- Stretch the brand into new cities and audiences,

- Experiment with flavour and format,

- Build credibility through aligned partnerships,

- Create hype that translates into both cultural relevance and commercial success.

For SALAD, it showcased our ability to create not just campaigns, but original concepts - ideas with longevity, personality and buzz.

With more events planned across the UK for 2026, stay tuned to see where Rare Birds will land next…