Starbird Appoints Greg Levin as Chief Executive Officer to Lead National Expansion

February 03, 2026 // Franchising.com // SAN FRANCISCO — Starbird today announced the appointment of Greg Levin as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member, effective immediately. Levin will lead the company’s next phase of national expansion, bringing a guest-first leadership mindset, a proven record of scaling premium restaurant brands and deep experience building disciplined, high-performing restaurant concepts and operating systems.

As part of the transition, Starbird founder, Aaron Noveshen, will move fully into the role of Chairman of the Board. In this capacity, he will continue stewarding the brand’s long-term vision and values at the board level, ensuring continuity as the company scales.

Levin joins Starbird following a distinguished career at BJ’s Restaurants, where he spent nearly two decades in senior leadership roles, including chief financial officer, president, and chief executive officer. During his tenure, he helped shape the company’s operating model, leadership culture, and financial foundation, supporting its growth from 45 restaurants to more than 200 locations across 31 states and from approximately $140 million to $1.4 billion in annual revenue.

“Having a leader with hands-on experience growing a premium restaurant brand nationwide brings real confidence to our franchise partners, investors and operators, and reinforces Starbird’s commitment to thoughtful leadership, strong execution, and sustainable growth,” said Noveshen. “With Greg at the helm, I’m even more excited to bring our Positively Delicious Chicken to more communities as we continue to establish Starbird as the leader of the super-premium chicken category.”

Levin’s appointment strengthens Starbird’s leadership team at a pivotal moment as the brand moves beyond its California-first growth strategy and accelerates nationwide expansion. 

“As Starbird expands nationally, my focus is on building upon our strong, values-driven culture and strengthening execution and guest hospitality at every level,” said Levin. “That foundation, paired with disciplined decision-making, enables sustainable long-term growth for the Starbird brand.”

With the continued partnership of Dollarhyde Investment Group and the backing of KarpReilly, a leading consumer-focused investment firm, Starbird is well positioned to accelerate franchise development and expansion — grounded in its founding vision and supported by a leadership team built for scale.

SOURCE Starbird

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