“We knew the service-industry model was broken,” says Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, co-owner of Birdie’s in Austin. After years spent in some of the country’s most prestigious kitchens—and experiencing firsthand the reality of being underpaid and overworked (“As a cook,” she says, “I never made more than $16 an hour”)—she and her husband, Arjav Ezekiel, made a decision: they would build a restaurant around their values.

That restaurant is Birdie’s, a counter-service, ingredient-driven spot known for its French and Italian influences and its mission to center sustainability and equity.

From Indie Rock to Fine Dining

Raised in the suburbs of Houston, Malechek-Ezekiel studied at the University of Houston’s College of Hotel and Restaurant Management. She always had a passion for food—“Apparently, there’s a food-loving gene,” she jokes. “My mom has it. My son has it. I have it.” But it wasn’t until just before graduation, when she helped a friend prepare a seven-course meal for an event, that she realized she wanted to pursue cooking professionally.

“In college, I was obsessed with indie rock,” she says. “I loved the intensity of a show. Then a group of us made that meal and I felt my focus shift—from other people’s creative expressions to my own.”

After college, she spent five months in Barcelona, where she fell in love with the way Spanish cuisine celebrated freshness and restraint. “It was cool to see the simplicity of ingredients celebrated. Simple food isn’t easy,” she says. “When you have only three or four things on a dish, there’s nowhere to hide.”

Malechek-Ezekiel began her career as a prep cook at Lula Café in Chicago before moving to New York, where she worked in some of the city’s top restaurants—Cru, Del Posto, and Gramercy Tavern—under chefs like James Beard Award winner Mike Anthony, for whom she served as sous-chef.

Building Birdie’s: A Family and a Philosophy

In 2015, she joined the opening team at Untitled at the Whitney Museum, where she met Arjav Ezekiel, then working as a captain and later a manager. After a shift one night, they went out for Negronis. As they talked, she predicted they’d open a restaurant together; he predicted they’d get married. They were both right.

The couple eventually returned to Texas, and in 2021, they opened Birdie’s. A year later, they welcomed their son.

As a chef, Malechek-Ezekiel draws inspiration from the farmers she works with in central Texas. She embraces the unpredictability of the region’s growing seasons—“What’s in season is all over the place,” she says—and lets that variability shape the menu.

Typically featuring around 10 savory dishes and two desserts, the menu changes frequently, sometimes daily, based on what’s available.

A New Model for the Modern Restaurant

Birdie’s stands out not only for its fresh, beautifully plated food and much-lauded wine program, but for the way it takes care of its staff. Every employee—servers, dishwashers, line cooks—earns a living wage and receives an even share of the weekly tip-out.

“Burnout is real,” says Malechek-Ezekiel. “It’s a problem in the service industry.” In response, Birdie’s closes two days a week, and for two weeks each in both the winter and summer, offering the team two paid breaks per year. Employees also receive health benefits, including access to mental health care and paid parental leave.

Malechek-Ezekiel hopes more restaurateurs will see that it’s possible to build a sustainable business while prioritizing the well-being of staff. By keeping the team small and eliminating unnecessary roles—a counter-service model doesn’t require hostesses, for instance—Birdie’s has found a profitable path forward.

When the staff feels cared for, they’re better equipped to take care of the guests. Judging by the lines out the door—and accolades like a James Beard nod, a Michelin Guide recommendation, and Food & Wine’s 2023 “Restaurant of the Year”—her instincts were right.