Tim McLaughlin might not be a household name in Plano, but his work is familiar to many in the North Texas food scene. Tim and his wife, Beth McLaughlin, were two of the key figures behind bringing Lockhart Smokehouse to Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood, and later to downtown Plano. Lockhart’s Oak Cliff location, which McLaughlin launched as its part-owner and original pitmaster, was his first foray into restaurant ownership after a long career working in fine-dining establishments. In January of 2017, the McLaughlins opened their second fast-casual concept—a chicken-centric Plano restaurant called Farmbyrd Rotisserie & Fry. “Everything’s made from scratch; everything’s done right here,” Tim said. “We’re excited about it, and having the casual atmosphere gives you an opportunity to really focus and hone in on great food, honestly, whether we’re selling it for less expensive or not.” The restaurant’s staple menu items are various forms of chicken—including fried, roasted and rotisserie-cooked—and an array of vegetable plates and sides, from cauliflower to the “super greens” plate. The McLaughlins are Plano residents who live within biking distance of their year-old restaurant, Beth said. Tim, his business partner and the staff handle the menu and day-to-day operations, while Beth specializes in the marketing and social media as well as accounting. The fast-casual, food-centric environment has been a welcome reprieve from the high-pressure environments Tim encountered in fine dining. “You see a lot of chefs go that way sometimes, because there’s interest in it,” Tim said of the fast-casual approach. “I don’t think anybody serves anything like what we serve here. I don’t think that anybody has anything like what we do. It’s fried chicken and rotisserie chicken—we’re not hiding that. ... We’re super proud of it.” Farmbyrd Rotisserie & Fry 3308 Preston Road, Ste. 380, Plano 972-596-0851 www.farmbyrd.com Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun.-Thu.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.