The Black Bird Restaurant Opens
- Real Change Wilmington
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
"We really wanted to do a diner, [because] all of our customers were telling us that was kind of missing here," stated Ryan George, Owner of RLG Restaurant Group that owns and operates the Black Bird Restaurant, General Denver (GD), Rod's Capricorn Inn, and 73 Grill, all located in Clinton County. The Black Bird Restaurant, located at 975 S South Street in Wilmington, opened on July 9th, 2025, to offer a "traditional daytime diner experience" with a "cozy and quiet" atmosphere. Ryan stated, "We just thought that kind of 'greasy spoon,' diner thing was missing."
All four restaurants are open seven days a week to "ensure consistency" and are operated by over 100 employees. Ryan has worked in the restaurant industry "since [he] was a kid," starting at the bottom at Outback Steakhouse and working his way up.
Ryan branched out to own his first restaurant roughly two years ago when he purchased 73 Grill from Victor Castillo, owner of Fiesta Veracruz. Within an 11-month time span, he was also approached by the owners of the GD and Rod's to purchase those restaurants as well. He shared that his desire to buy the restaurants stemmed from their community support, as he stated, "I would have had no interest if I didn't feel like [the GD and Rod's] were loved by the community." Additionally, Ryan had a close relationship with Marty Beaugard, Owner of the former 'Beaugard's Southern Bar B Q', now Black Bird, and agreed to buy it once Marty retired to create a more "traditional diner setting." Ryan shared that the Black Bird Restaurant is the first restaurant he started from scratch.
According to Ryan, Black Bird's most popular dish is "biscuits and gravy," available from 6am to 3pm. Ryan's long-term vision is to continue to open restaurants and "have a big company that supports a lot of people" in the community. He even hopes to open a hybrid deli and bakery downtown in the future, similarly to the former Jen's Deli.
Learn more about The Black Bird Restaurant by following them on Facebook.