2024 Charlotteans of the Year: Bird Pizzeria

The Optimist Park pizzeria got love from The New York Times—and expanded its to-go operation for a rapidly growing customer base

Late last spring, a New York Times reporter called Nkem and Kerrel Thompson, spouses and co-owners of Bird Pizzeria. He said he was writing an article on how the pizza industry has changed in the last decade. “We thought, OK, we can see why they’d want to talk to us for a quick quotable,” Nkem says. 

A few weeks later, on June 25, the Times published that article—and it wasn’t what the Thompsons expected. The Times had included their little Optimist Park pizzeria on its list of the 22 best pizza places in the U.S. “It was dope,” Kerrel says. “(The journalist) had actually come by a couple of years ago with some friends and had our pizza, so it had been brewing for a little bit. We did not know any of that. Even the photographer who came didn’t know any details.” 

Soon, their walk-up window was slammed with customers from all over the Carolinas who wanted to try their 16-inch pies. With no indoor seating, guests could try to snag one of the few tables on the sidewalk or take their pizzas to go. “Every day felt like Friday, our busiest day,” Nkem says. “But it came at a really great time because we were in the midst of expanding, so we were already hiring new people.” 

In October, they opened a dining room in the former tattoo shop next door. The expansion comes nearly three years after Bird opened as a takeout business. Their pies have brown, caramelized crusts, reminiscent of what Kerrel grew up eating in Cleveland, and simple toppings like pepperoni, banana peppers, and local mushrooms. “I’m not a crazy fan of cheeseburger pizza,” he says. “I like getting down to the nitty-gritty of it and not hiding behind too many things. I like songs that are bangers—like, when every song is amazing. That’s how I look at every pie.” 

When the Thompsons moved to Charlotte in 2016, the city already had plenty of pizza joints. “For us, coming from larger cities, having your favorite taco or burger or pizza spot,” Nkem says, “that’s a major thing.”

“There was a certain energy we desired and a community we wanted to be a part of,” Kerrel adds. “We came to Charlotte for that reason, to assert ourselves in this community and grow around the things we believe in. Food is such a great medium to do that.”