'It's about feeling accounted for': Jackson's first vegan restaurant to open Wednesday

Offering Jackson's first exclusively, full-service vegan menu and aiming to change the conversation around plant-based cuisine, Littlebird Restaurant & Bar is soon to be opening its doors under the leadership of spirited owner Lauren Kail.

The grand opening of its 316 North Highland location is set to take place on Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

A Jackson native with a restaurant background, Kail's dreamed of opening a vegan restaurant for the last five years but instead maintained a rapid climb up the corporate ladder in the business technology field.

Reflecting back on her time in corporate America, she shared that she loved the company she worked for and was certain that she would ultimately retire from there. After a successful seven-year period and a number of promotions later, Kail began to experience burnout and repressed questions of self-doubt surrounding what the future of her career looked like.

In January of 2023, she left the comfort of the corporate world and took the courageous leap toward making her entrepreneurial dream a reality.

"All of 2023 has been 'Project Littlebird' to get this place off the ground and into what I've envisioned in my head for so long," Kail said.

Kail explained that the name Littlebird is not only a nod to her first and middle initials (LB), but a symbolic representation of her inaugural business endeavor.

"This is my first venture, and I really did feel like I'm leaving this nest, I'm leaving what I know, and it's scary and exciting and all the things," she said. "But I truly did feel like this was my version of a little bird leaving and just seeing what happens and going for it."

Similarly offering an array of juices, smoothies, lattes, and vegan lunch items, Crystal's Zen & Juice is open from 10 a.m. to 6 pm. on 580 South Royal Street.

Something for everyone

A vegan of seven years, Kail shared that a lack of plant-based options at the average restaurant can make dining challenging and consequently what influenced her entirely vegan-centric brunch, lunch and dinner menus.

"I know the experience all too well of going out to eat and you don't feel accounted for when you go to restaurants," she said. "You're usually piecing your meal together like a side salad and a plate of fries or you're just modifying everything, and it just feels like a science experiment or a real chore."

While having her first full-vegan restaurant experience in Nashville, Kail says that for the first time in years, she was overwhelmed by choice.

"I forgot what it felt like to look at an entire menu and have it all be for you because there were no limitations to it," she said. "That was something that I thought 'I'm not the only one that feels this way' and Jackson deserves to have a variety."

For those who are vegan for dietary, humanitarian, or environmental reasons, Kail expressed that, nonetheless, she hopes to bring that same sense of feeling accounted for to Jackson with Littlebird.

"The whole idea is really just to create a space that feels good, that everyone feels comfortable, safe, accounted for, and it's just very curated," Kail said.

The curated menu offers unique takes on classic appetizers like chips and queso made from cashews to main dishes like a chicken sandwich that, instead of chicken, uses battered oyster mushrooms. Gluten-free options are readily available for those with gluten intolerances/sensitivities and for those avoiding alcohol, the bar offers a mocktail menu.

Reflecting on the journey as the grand opening fast approaches, Kail shared that the most rewarding part of the process has been collaborating with a number of local artists, builders, and creatives who helped bring Littlebird to life.

For now, she is most looking forward to customer reactions to the intentionally crafted menu options.

"I'm most excited for hearing people's experiences when they come in and try the food," she said. "The aesthetic, the atmosphere, the vibes, that's a very important piece, and I feel really hopeful and really good about people enjoying that, but I'm really excited to see how shocked people are by the cuisine."

For vegan eaters and those looking for healthy options, similarly Crystal's Zen & Juice is open from 10 a.m. to 6 pm. on 580 South Royal Street, offering an array of juices, smoothies, lattes and vegan lunch and dishes like bowls, salads, toasts and "burgers."

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Jackson's first vegan restaurant gears up for grand opening Wednesday